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Jlotoring ^tiroatr 







BY 



FRANK PRESBREY 

Author of "Vacation Days Abroad," 
"To Far Away Vacation Lands," etc. 

WSiiti^ Mln^tvationsi from j^fjotostapl^s^ 




NEW YORK 
THE OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY 

MCMVIII 



LIBRARY of 00N6K;ESSJ5 

iWO Copies rtftCCr--- 

MAY «3 1908 



J) 



Copyright. 1908. by 
FRANK PRESBREY 



All Rights Reserved 



THE OUTING PRESS. DEPOSIT. N. Y. 



To My Wife 



Nnmero dn Certlfieat i»} I <i/ ci y/'^y 

Le Prefet du departemcnt d 

Vu le decrct du lo mars 1899 portant reglement relatif a 
. la circulation dos aulomobiles, et specialement son article 11; 
Vu Tavis favorable du service des Mines; 
DdiNTe a M. ^4^ . %a^Uu^^ 

n^aW''|f^^^^^^-^f^''^^-'9'^ ^O^y^ Am^ 
domicilii aj^^ dXckyj^^Jt- ^ H^ (9^^-"^ ^ (yJH^x.^ * 
un certificat de capacite pour la condiiite d ^^^ 

des Voitures a petrole 

fonctlonnant dan/les conditions prescrites p^r le ifecrf t susvise. 
mta/^ ,le t^^y4i^^Zi9 

Sigattnre in tltolaire ; 



(1) Namera da regislre special de la Pre'fectnre. — (5) Nom et pren^». -v f3(f LienJ^date 
de nais»ance. — (4) Indication precise da domicile. — (5) Desi^atji^ de l^mfpre/«J<?^o des 
vehicnle* k la condolte desqaelt s'appliqne le certlficat do capacityM^rormjfayra'u pa^CgrapLe 
1 1 de la clrcnlaire mlniste'rielle da xo •vril 1899 



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£1 



7 

Un certificat de capacity pour la conduite des Voitures a petrole — the French license. 



CONTENTS 



Introduction ....... ix 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I Delightful Features of a Foreign Motor 

Trip . , 3 

II The Ocean Crossing and Arrival in France 13 

III Our First Run in France, from Havre to 

Rouen ....... 27 

IV Along the Picturesque Coast of Normandy 37 
V Mont St. Michel and the Road to St. ^Ialo . 55 

VI Characteristics of Normandy and Brittany 

Towns Q5 

VII From St. Malo South Through Romantic 

Brittany ... . . . . .75 

VIII In the Heart of the Chateau Country . 87 

IX From Tours to Paris 101 

X Our Last Run in France from Paris to Bou- 

logne-Sur-Mer . . . . . .113 

XI Something About French Roads and their 

Excellence . . . . . . .127 

XII Arrival at Folkestone, England, and the 

Trip to London ...... 139 

XIII English Motor Clubs and Road Maps . .151 

XIV From London to Scotland over the Great 

North Road . . . . . .159 

XV Crossing the Border Line of England and 

Scotland . . . . . . .173 

XVI The Run Across the Moors of Scotland , 185 

vii 



Contents^ 



CHAPTER PACK 

XVII Along the Caledonian Canal en route to 

Oban 193 

XVIII Ending the Tour in Scotland and Embark- 
ing FOR Ireland ..... 209 
XIX The North of Ireland and the Giant's Cause- 
way ........ 229 

XX The Trip from Belfast to Dublin, and an 

Experience ...... 241 

XXI From Dublin Through Wales to England . 255 
XXII From Chester to Southampton . . . 263 

XXIII Practical Suggestions to Those Contem- 
plating A Foreign Motor Trip . . 275 



INTRODUCTION 

THE idea of taking our motor car to Europe 
and spending the summer in touring 
seems to have come as a simultaneous 
inspiration to my wife and me. Inspirations 
are usually infectious and are caught as one 
catches measles or mumps. But just how or 
when we were exposed neither of us has ever 
been able to decide. We came down with the 
fever, anyhow, at about the same moment, and 
neither knew the other had it until we began 
to compare symptoms and diagnose each other's 
feelings. 

A well-developed case of real automohilia for- 
eignensis shows the same characteristic symp- 
toms in nearly every instance. The patient 
almost immediately after the breaking out of the 
disease develops a mania for foreign road maps 
and books of travel. He can usually be found 
prowling about bookstores earnestly asking 
for books descriptive of motoring abroad. The 
fever is so high that nothing quenches the desire 
for details. Any one who has toured abroad in 



Sntrobuction 



an automobile becomes at once the chosen idol, 
and the patient hovers near him until he has 
extracted all the information possible. 

Later the patient is torn and worried over the 
question whether he should take over an Amer- 
ican car or wait until he has reached the other 
side and buy or rent a foreign car. 

All these symptoms and doubts my wife and 
I had to the fullest extent. How we solved 
them and how we made our trip through Nor- 
mandy, Brittany, the chateau country of Tou- 
raine, England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales may 
possibly be of interest to others who either have 
made or contemplate making a similar tour. 

Hence, without further apologies — this book. 





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chapter ®nt 

©eligfjtful Jf eaturesf of a Jforeign 
iHotor tE^xip 



MOTORING ABROAD 



Cfjapter 0m 

W^t ©elisfttful Jfeatureji of a Jforeign iWotor 
Car arrip 

TO those who love outdoor life and enjoy the 
glories of nature for nature's sake an 
automobile trip always appeals with par- 
ticular fascination. As has often been said, it 
is next to flying. But that expression need not 
signify that speed is the desideratum. Indeed, 
those who get the most out of automobiling are 
they who use the car as a means to an end, and 
who do not make everything subservient to the 
car and mere speed. 

There are many features which go to make 
a motoring trip abroad far more enjoyable than 
one in America. 

In the first place — aside from the exhilaration 
of the tour for its own sake — there is that to look 
upon which is novel and different frorn what we 

3 



ifHotoring Sbroab 



are accustomed to see at home. The towns and 
villages, the architecture, and the people them- 
selves, whether city dwellers or peasants, are 
interesting and fascinating as studies. 

The comforts afforded in small places abroad 
are incomparably better than those found in 
towns of equal size in America, and then the 
roads — where is the American who has toured 
in France, Germany, Italy or Great Britain, and 
has not returned ashamed of his own country's 
lack of interest in its rural thoroughfares.? 

It is not an adequate excuse or apology to say 
that our country is young. The science of modern 
road making is not an old one, but the disgrace 
is with our system which makes politics para- 
mount to the material improvements of the 
country. 

There is a great advantage in traveling by 
motor car abroad. One is not a slave to exact- 
ing time tables. There is no dyspepsia-breeding 
nervousness over this or that annoyance of travel 
by railway ; there are no hurried meals, no hust- 
ling porters. The car- window views which you 
have of the country when riding in a train are 
exchanged for a wide view on all sides. And 
here it is worth remarking that the usual touring 
car with the cape top is far more satisfactory 




Our start from the. Hotel Frascati, Havre, was 
made with light hearts and keen anticipation. 



©elisftttul Jfeatures; of a jForeisn aCn'p 

for a motor car trip than a limousine. The ordi- 
nary cape top provides against rain, dust and 
excessive heat of the sun, and allows so much 
more opportunity for observation than may be 
had from a limousine. One gives you a picture 
from horizon to horizon, with the sky above ; the 
other limits the view and shuts you in in a way 
which, to many, is depressing. 

One of the particular delights of touring in an 
automobile is that one may indulge to the fullest 
extent in what might be termed haphazard 
decisions. Sudden whims to change the route 
or to visit this place or that may be indulged 
without the annoyance of exchanging or redeem- 
ing railway tickets. If you happen to be passing 
through some little village that strikes your 
fancy, or chance to come across an inn which 
looks particularly inviting, you do not have to 
ask the conductor for a stop-over check, nor 
hurry to the luggage van to get your luggage out. 
You may stop at will and start at will. 

If there is anything which robs a trip of much 
of its pleasure it is slavery to an itinerary and a 
time table. To go and come at one's own sweet 
will is productive of far more pleasure, rest and 
enjoyment than to follow some one's else itiner- 
ary, whether it is the ''man from Cook's," the 

5 



iWotoring ^broab 



man who makes the railway time tables, or the 
man who drives a stage coach. 

We made our entire trip, from start to finish, 
without definite plans for more than a day or 
two in advance, and even these we frequently 
changed on the impulse of the moment. 

An objection to motoring is that you pass 
along so rapidly that your study of the country 
is more or less superficial, and your views im- 
pressionistic rather than analytical. Trying to 
describe an automobile trip is a good deal like 
trying to describe what you had seen when look- 
ing into a kaleidoscope. 

On the other hand motoring has many advan- 
tages. One may get from a motor car trip a 
knowledge of the real life of the people better 
than can be obtained in any other way. All 
railway travel is from point to point, and inti- 
mate knowledge of the country between the 
places visited is impossible. Those who travel 
along country roads in motor cars peep into the 
very doors of the farmhouses where the railway 
traveler looks only at the houses from a distance. 
Motor car travel permits one to stop to engage 
in conversation ; to travel through the little streets 
in smaller towns; to watch scenes which excite 
interest, and to get into closer, even intimate 



3!ae(igl)tful jFeatures; of a Jforeign Wxip 

relationship with people in a way that gives a 
broader and better knowledge than is possible 
when traveling by railway. 

Then, too, travel by motor ear is a physical 
and mental invigoration and if the day's run has 
been a reasonable one, both as to distance and 
speed, one arrives at one's destination invigor- 
ated instead of tired and worn. 

We found everywhere through France and 
Great Britain the kindliest sentiment toward us. 
We had been told that the feeling against Amer- 
ican cars was so bitter that we should likely have 
trouble in garages in France where the chauffeurs 
were mean enough to loosen a bolt, puncture a 
gasoline tank or play other various small and 
petty tricks in order to put an American car 
out of commission. 

We not only had no trouble of this sort any- 
where in France, but we found the men in charge 
of the garages uniformly courteous and obliging, 
and disposed to give us all the assistance pos- 
sible. And they did this graciously. We did, 
however, take the precaution, and this I would 
advise every one to do, of having a strap with a 
lock on it put on over the hood of the car so that 
no one could open it and get at the engine with- 
out leaving tell-tale traces. Mere curiosity to see 



iWotorins atiroab 



the engine of an American car might prompt 
people in a foreign garage to open the hood and 
in that way some damage might be done. But, 
so far as I know, we did not even have need for 
the strap anywhere on the trip. In fact, all the 
alarming reports we had heard about damage 
done American automobiles were about as silly 
and unfounded as many of the other things 
which were told us beforehand regarding touring 
abroad. 

We found garage facilities in every town and 
at almost all the hotels. The charges were very 
small in independent garages — generally about 
three francs for storage, washing, and brassing, 
often not over two francs — and in the hotel 
garages there was seldom any charge for storing. 
Gasoline or petrol, or essence as it is called in 
France, we found under its various names for 
sale everywhere, even in the smallest villages 
and often at farmhouses. It cost from forty to 
fifty cents for two-gallon cans, and in England 
it was as cheap as it is in the United States. 

We encountered uniform courtesy, not only 
in the garages, but along the country roads. In 
fact it was so much the custom for the peasants 
in the fields to wave to us as we passed along 
the road that we soon began to look for these 




Our friends from Waterbury, uho accompanied 
us, added m,uch to the pleasure of our tour. 



©eligftttul jFeaturesJ of a Jforeign tirip 

pleasant little salutations, and to take the initia- 
tive ourselves, to show that we did not propose 
to be outdone in civility. 

We had a pleasant smile from almost every 
peasant we passed on the road, and, in many in- 
stances, a polite bow. In all our trips we met 
few horses which showed the least fear of the 
motor, but it was amusing to see how frightened 
many of the old market-women would be when 
we came up behind them as they were jogging 
along in their carts. In many instances, the 
woman would jump out, rush to the horse's 
head and grab his bridle as if she expected he 
would turn everything upside down when we 
came alongside. In nine cases out of ten the 
horse would not pay the slightest attention to 
us, which would leave the old market-woman 
full of disappointment because she had had all 
her exercise for nothing. 




chapter SCttio 
in Jf rame 




is 



T3 "u 
1^ 



^•§ 



Cfjapter Ctoo 
artje 0ttm CrosJsfing anb ®nv ^tribal in jFrance 

WE sailed from New York on the mag- 
nificent steamship Ainerika of the 
Hamburg- American Line, which, with 
her sister ship, the Kaiserin Auguste Victoria^ has 
brought ocean travel up to the acme of luxury 
and enjoyment. Our immediate party consisted 
of six — my wife, two daughters and son, and a 
friend of the last, who was to drive the car 
alternately with my son. We were accompanied 
by Mr. and Mrs. George L. White, their sister 
and niece, friends from Waterbury, Connecti- 
cut, whom we had persuaded to take their motor 
ca"!* and make the trip with us, and whose com- 
pany added immeasurably to the pleasure of 
the tour. Our automobiles had been sent ahead 
direct to Havre upon one of the steamers of the 
French Line, which makes a specialty of trans- 
porting motor cars and does it in the most satis- 
factory manner. 

We had not been at sea more than a day or 

13 



jfWotoring ^broab 



two when we discovered that a number of our 
fellow passengers were bound for Europe with 
automobiling plans similar to our own. Before 
we landed there had gathered a coterie of sixteen 
gentlemen, all of w^hom were either taking their 
own cars over or were expecting to find cars 
which were to be ready upon their arrival. We 
passed many pleasant hours in the smoking 
room discussing plans and the ever-present ques- 
tion whether it was better to take an American 
car over, rent a car or buy a foreign one. I be- 
lieve, although we have not met in conference 
since, that every one who took his own car 
would do it again instead of putting up with the 
annoyances resulting in renting over there, and 
the chances of securing a poor car and an 
indifferent chauffeur. 

We left the Amerika at Cherbourg, the port of 
call for France and the Continent, and upon the 
arrival of the tender — which took those who 
were landing off the steamer — at the quay in 
Cherbourg, there was an eager interest shown 
in seven or eight automobiles standing in a line 
as if on exhibition opposite the landing place. 
Several of these were new cars belonging to our 
fellow voyagers which had been ordered to meet 
them upon arrival and it was their first view of 

14 



STfje ©cean Crosfs^mg anb ®nv Srribal in jFrance 

their purchases. There was great interest in 
these bright and shining French beauties and 
the inspection, before the departure of the special 
train for Paris, was very general, not only by the 
owners but by most of their friends. Several of 
the cars had been sent, with their chauffeurs, from 
America to Havre long enough ahead of their 
owners to permit of their being run to Cherbourg 
to be ready for immediate service. Our own 
Locomobile and the car of our friends from 
Waterbury were awaiting us at Havre, so we 
had to go there to get them. 

Before our train left the station adjoining the 
quay at Cherbourg, three or four of the cars had 
received their complement of passengers and 
luggage and had whirled around the corner into 
the little, old-fashioned street on their trip to 
Paris; their occupants waving a hearty "see you 
later" as they disappeared. 

In going from Cherbourg to Havre the longest 
way around is the shortest way there, so we went 
to Paris by the regular "steamer train," and 
procured there our indemnity insurance policies, 
and purchased a number of things for our motors 
such as sirens, extra horns, et cetera. 

As we were all anxious to get started on our 
tour as soon as possible, we left Paris the day 

15 



iWotoring ^broab 



following our arrival, going direct to Havre by 
train where we had secured rooms at the beau- 
tifully situated and admirably managed Hotel 
Frascati, one of the justly famous hostelries of 
France. 

For the second time upon visits to France we 
found ourselves the victims of their "Fourth of 
July" festivities and holiday which, in that 
country, comes July fourteenth, and is in cele- 
bration of the storming and fall of the Bastille. 
No laborer in France will consent to work 
either the day before the fourteenth, because 
he must have that day to prepare for his 
festivities, or the day after, because he must 
have that day to get over them. 

Our car had arrived but had not been taken 
from the hold of the ship and because of these 
holidays it was absolutely impossible to have it 
touched for three days. 

With our usual American impatience at delays 
we tried to bribe, then cajoled and finally threat- 
ened, but it was no use. It was a clear case of 
wait for three days, so wait we did with the best 
grace possible. Fortunately for us they were 
having the annual yacht races at Havre at 
the time and the city was gay in consequence, 
and we had an opportunity of witnessing the 

16 




The Miclielin shields which xoe qnit on so thor- 
oughly protected our rear tires that ice did not 
have a single puncture in either of them^ dur- 
ing our entire trip. 



tCfte 0ttm Crosfging anb ®nv arribal in Jfrance 

races which were very exciting and unusually 
interesting. 

During our stay we put in one evening amid 
the holiday festivities in the Jardin or Park of 
the Hotel de Ville, or City Hall. The populace 
had gathered en masse, bent on merrymaking, 
yet notwithstanding the crush and crowd we 
never saw a better-natured lot of people together. 
There was no drunkenness or disorder, and 
whether one was able or not to elbow his or her 
way up near enough to the great pavilion where 
the band was playing to hear the music it mat- 
tered little. Merriment ruled the hour and 
every one was bent on taking things as they 
came. We saw here in this Park one of the 
prettiest tricks of illumination. There were 
myriads of little colored globes with miniature 
candles inside set in the closely cropped grass of 
the lawns in geometric and ornamental figures, 
and the effect was surprisingly beautiful. 

The evening following this fete there was a 
grand Naval Ball at our hotel which all of the 
officers and sailors of the yachts, which had 
taken part in the races, attended with their 
sweethearts and wives. It was a brilliant affair 
and we enjoyed watching the dancing and later 

the presentation of the prizes, which was attended 

17 



inotortns ^broab 



with great ceremony, much speech making and 
enthusiasm. 

Havre is a very interesting city. Its crooked 
streets and quaint old shops; its many bird 
shops filled with parrots and odd-looking tropi- 
cal birds brought there by the sailors from all 
parts of the world; its wonderful harbor, whose 
narrow entrance between the ends of the two 
breakwaters was so close to the hotel that we 
could have recognized friends on decks of passing 
steamers, are interesting and would be far more 
so if we had not felt that we were being held 
prisoners while our motor car was peacefully 
reposing in the hold of a vessel lying in full sight 
from our hotel. 

Even the fete de la Republique Frangaise, how- 
ever, like all other holidays, came to an end, 
and at last we saw the crate containing our 
motor car lifted up through the hatchway and 
swung by the enormous derrick over the side 
of the ship and lowered to the lighter to be taken 
to the customs house for appraisement. The 
enterprising agent of the concern through which 
I had shipped my car was on hand, and through 
his energy and interest we were saved a full day 
at least. By some subtle influence he persuaded 
the captain of the lighter to sail off across, the 

18 



Wbt (Bttan Crosfjsms anb ®nv ^tribal in Jf ranee 

basin between the quays to the customs house as 
soon as our motor car had been placed aboard. 
The man in charge of the unloading set up 
vociferous protests when he saw the lighter leav- 
ing with hardly half a load, but evidently our 
friend, the agent, had bribed the man in charge 
and away we went, leaving the excited French- 
man shaking his fist at us. Once at the customs 
house another derrick was brought into play and 
the crate hoisted to the quay, where, as if by 
magic, there appeared eight or ten lusty men 
who began to take the crate apart. I do not 
know that I can express in words the particular 
sense of interest and gratification that I had in 
seeing our familiar car gradually pushed out of 
the crate in which it had come across the ocean. 
Here it stood on the cobblestones of the quay 
in old France, as if to say: ''Here I am, ready 
for the run. When are you going to start .?" 

The formalities in connection with the cus- 
toms were soon completed because our ubiqui- 
tous friend, the shipping agent, had gone to the 
offices of the customs house, secured an appraiser 
and had brought him down in a cab to have him 
at hand the minute the car was out of its crate. 
He apparently took a great deal of interest in 
inspecting the auto. He had the hood opened 

19 



iWotoring ^broab 



and went over the engine very carefully, looked 
at the wheels and the upholstery and evi- 
dently was more interested in the inspection 
because it was an American car than to get at 
its actual, or assumed, value. I had taken the 
trouble, before leaving New York, to secure from 
the makers of my car a statement covering 
every feature of the car; the factory number, the 
number of the motor, the exact weight of the car, 
its dimensions in every particular, color of the 
body, chassis and wheels, and its chief and indi- 
vidual characteristics. This I had had translated 
into French and had it at hand to give to the cus- 
toms inspector. I found that this saved consider- 
able time as he could copy the essential features 
of the description at once, without having to ask 
questions. While the customs officer was ar- 
ranging these details our friend, the agent, was 
having the tank filled with essence. As soon as 
the customs papers were complete I paid the 
duty, which was $185.00, and took the official 
receipt which I subsequently turned over to the 
customs officials at Boulogne upon leaving for 
England and received back the same amount, 
less fees amounting to about six dollars. 

We had sent the car down to the packers in 
New York with four of the worst looking old 

20 




These little French village boi/s are adepts at 
catching a few centimes by performing tricks 
themselves or showing off their trained dogs. 



arte (©cean CrosfsJing anb ©ur ^tribal in jFrante 

tires that ever passed through the streets of 
the city. All that we cared was that they would 
last long enough to get the car to the packers, as 
it was planned to put on new tires upon arrival 
in France and throw the old ones away. As soon 
as the car was released from the customs house in 
Havre we drove to the Garage Burton, 7 Rue de 
Beranger, which we found thoroughly modern 
and equipped with every facility. Here we fitted 
the car with new four and one-half inch Michelins, 
and also Michelin shields for the rear wheels and 
chains for the front wheels to prevent punctures. 
Wliile the majority of the French roads have 
perfect surfaces, the liability to puncture is many 
times greater than it is in the United States be- 
cause of the large, heavy-headed nails which the 
peasants universally wear in the soles of their 
sabots or wooden shoes. In scuffling along 
the road these nails come out and, the heads 
being heavy, are likely to rest on end, points up. 
This is a source of great annoyance to auto- 
mobilists and leads to many punctures. A 
gentleman who had toured in France the year 
before assured me, on the way over, that I could 
count on a puncture or two a day unless I put 
shields on my rear wheels and chains on my 
front wheels. I owe him a debt of gratitude 

21 



jfWotarins ^hroab 



for this suggestion, and pass it along to those 
who come after. We found that the garage 
man knew exactly what was meant and they 
were attached to my car with no trouble and 
little expense. 

The shield is an arrangement which hugs the 
tire of the rear wheel, being held in place by iron 
braces attached to the frame of the chassis and 
strong rubber bands connecting the braces with 
the shield. This shield looks like a gridiron in 
that there are transverse steel bars which pick out 
anything which may stick in the tire as the wheel 
revolves. It is seldom that the first impact with 
a sharp substance makes a puncture, and if the 
thing can be immediately pulled out it will save 
trouble nine times out of ten. The shield's 
working is almost perfect as nothing can pass the 
several different bars without being pulled out. 

The chains which dragged on our front wheels 
were simply light, flexible steel chains, so at- 
tached to the mud guards as to sweep all points 
of the surface of the tire. It may be that we 
were particularly fortunate, but I am inclined 
to think that these simple appliances attached 
to the car at a total expense of less than five dol- 
lars are what makes it possible to say, with 
absolute truth, that we did not have a single 



22 



®l)e 0ttan CrosJsd'ng anb 0nt Srribal in Jfrance 

puncture during our entire trip through France. 
In fact, our speedometer showed 2,300 miles 
before we had the first one, and this was on a 
front wheel where the chain had worn out and 
we had failed to replace it. 

We also had attached to the car in such a way 
that whoever sat at the side of the driver 
could operate either one of them, the large siren 
and extra horn I had purchased in Paris. We 
found this to be particularly desirable because 
in going through the narrow, crowded streets in 
many of the French towns, the driver's attention 
had to be concentrated upon operating the car 
to avoid running down people who were often 
aggravatingly inattentive and deliberate. 

Tires and tubes cost in France just about one- 
half what they do in the United States. I paid 
for four and one-half inch tires $42.50 each, and 
for inner tubes about seven dollars each. I 
found, too, that all accessories, such as horns, 
sirens, etc., could be purchased at the same 
proportionate saving over American prices. 

The matter of securing an operator's license 
and a license for the car in France is not only 
troublesome but takes much time unless your 
car is shipped from the United States by some 
concern which has ** arrangements" for securing 

23 



iWotoring Sbroab 



these licenses for you at once upon arrival. The 
law requires that you shall make formal applica- 
tion for such a license to the Prefect of Police on 
stamped paper which can be obtained at any 
post office. In the course of time you will 
receive an acknowledgment and be assigned a 
time, usually two or three weeks ahead, when 
you are to appear and give before a duly author- 
ized official an exhibition of your ability to 
operate a motor car. Several concerns of ship- 
pers are now equipped with facilities at Havre by 
which your examination or the examination of 
your chauffeur will take place as soon as your 
car is out of its crate and you will receive a 
temporary permit, or "Permis provisoire de 
circulation,'' your permanent license being for- 
warded to you later. In our case we had this 
temporary paper in less than ten minutes after 
our motor car was uncrated and were saved 
time and annoyance, the regular license owing 
to the red tape and deliberate methods of the 
officials reaching us after our return to America. 
We had previously procured the little photo- 
graphs (about one and one-half inches long by 
one inch wide) of my son and his friend 
who were to drive the car, as the law requires 
that these be pasted on the licenses. 

24 




In Rouen the Tour de la Grosse Horloge under 
which, we passed, is one of the historical and 
architectural features of that interesting city. 




Cfjapter Cfiree 
jf rom Jlabre to Eouen 



chapter Wi^vtt 

0nx :f tot 5Run in jFrance. jFrom ||abre to 
JRouen 

OUR friend, the shipping agent, with his 
customary desire to do everything pos- 
sible for our pleasure and comfort, had 
delegated one of the young men in his office to 
ride with us to the outskirts of the city of Havre 
and start us on the right road to Rouen. In 
Havre, as in all French cities, it is a troublesome 
thing to find one's way through the labyrinth 
of streets and out of the town. Very often the 
streets of a little place of a few thousand in- 
habitants will be so tortuous and so utterly with- 
out system that it is almost impossible to go 
into the city at one side and come out any- 
where near where you wish in order to continue 
your trip beyond on the proper road. I recall 
that in one town in Normandy, of not more 
than two thousand inhabitants, we wandered 
about for half an hour, and three or four differ- 
ent times went out to the end of some street 

27 



iWotoring ^broab 



thinking it would lead us to the right road, only 
to find that we would have to turn around and 
go back to the center of the town and try again. 

Our guide appeared at the hotel just as we 
were leaving, rigged out in his dust coat and 
goggles as if he were ready for a long tour and 
without ceremony climbed in at the side of the 
driver. He directed us through the main part of 
the city to the suburbs, where we supposed he 
would leave us, but, evidently the joys of motor- 
ing with an American party, the beauty of the 
day and the magnificence of the scenery were 
such that he felt he could sacrifice for the time 
being his duties in the dull routine of the shipping 
office. He calmly settled himself as we reached 
the open country and apparently was to be our 
companion, for how long we did not any of us 
know, nor could we even speculate. As it was 
he went all the way to Rouen with us and really 
added to the pleasure of the trip by his enthusi- 
astic descriptions in broken English of the 
various places which we passed. We all felt 
that if we had offered the least encouragement 
he would have made the entire French tour 
with us. 

None of us will ever forget the beauties of that 
first afternoon's run. It is about sixty-five miles 

28 




The spot in Rouen where Jeanne D' Arc was 
burned at the stake in 1431 is designated by a 
marble slab and continually decorated with 
wreaths of everlasting flowers. 



(Bnv jFirs^t 3Run in jFrance 



from Havre to Rouen by the Route Nationale 
and the entire route follows the valley of the 
Seine. If there is a more beautiful valley in 
the world none of our party has ever seen it. 
It was almost one uninterrupted stretch of fields 
of waving grain, great forests, superb chateaux 
set far back from the road and approached 
between avenues of trees, picturesque villages 
and long reaches of one of the fairest rivers in 
the world. The air was sweet with the fragrance 
of the fields, the wheat was just in head and soon 
to be harvested, and waving in the breezes were 
great patches of the bright-red poppies which 
are found everywhere through the fields of 
France. 

Our route out of Havre was through the 
shaded boulevard to Graville - Ste - Honorine, 
thence by St. Romain and Lillebonne, where 
we had a glimpse of the ruins of the old Roman 
theater, to the quaint little town of Caudebec, 
where we made our first stop. The main street 
of this town, after wandering around past the 
old church with its classic tower, leads directly 
to the river bank where it intersects the boule- 
vard running up and down the very shore of 
the Seine and fringed with a double row of 
great trees. As we were going down this little 

29 



ittotorins ^broab 



street we discovered a peasant selling fruit, 
we stopped and purchased, for a few coppers, 
a couple of quarts of the largest and most luscious 
cherries we had ever seen. We ran the car 
down to the river bank and sat there eating our 
fruit, much to the apparent amusement of the 
natives, taking in meanwhile the magnificent 
view of the Seine which has been pictured by 
many artists in oil and pastel. 

The view of the Seine at Caudebec is that 
which has made the lower stretches of this river 
famous. It is a spot which artists have selected 
more than any other to depict the beauties of 
this famous stream, and it was a source of pleas- 
ure to us that in our first day's run in France we 
should have the opportunity of enjoying some- 
thing the memory of which will never fade. 

On the opposite side of the river we could see 
seated under bright-hued umbrellas the always 
present fishermen patiently waiting a bite. The 
French fisherman is a type. The sport seems 
to be a national pastime. The average French- 
man will sit listlessly on a river bank all day and 
if he is rewarded by a few little fish by evening 
time he is evidently satisfied and happy with 
the day's results. 

From Caudebec to Rouen the scenery began 

30 



0nv jFirsJt 3Run in Jfrance 



to be more varied, and the hills and grades more 
noticeable, probably because we were drawing 
farther away from the Seine. 

We approached Rouen in the late afternoon 
through a heavily wooded, park-like country. 
From the edge of the uplands, over which we 
approached the city, the town is reached by a 
long, steep, tortuous descent affording glimpses 
here and there through the trees of the city with 
its many spires and the hills beyond. 

Rouen, with its 120,000 inhabitants, is one of 
the famous cities of France and has a notable his- 
tory dating back to 841. It is said to be the rich- 
est of French cities in mediaeval history. The 
old walls of the town, which were impregnable to 
Henry V. of England in 1415, and Henry IV. of 
France in 1592, have been converted into boule- 
vards and planted with trees. The city lies in 
the valley of the Seine between two great ranges 
of hills. The railway from Paris to Havre 
enters it from either direction through long 
tunnels so that the tourist by rail does not get 
at any time the panoramic picture which we had 
in coming over the hills and down into the 
valley. A recent writer has said: "What is the 
finest view in the world will doubtless always 
be a question for dispute, but those who have 

31 



iWotoring aiiroab 



seen Rouen from the hills have often reversed 
their previous judgments. It is indescribable, 
unpaintable, impossible to photograph. The 
spectacle is so magnificent that it seems unreal 
and fairylike. The great city and its faubourgs 
with its apparently innumerable church spires, 
chimney stacks and red roof tops, and the broad, 
brilliant Seine, busy with its shipping, flowing 
through the midst." 

This view as we had it just before the red sun 
sank beyond the western hills was so superb and 
impressive that we sat in the car and enjoyed 
it for a long time before winding our way down 
into the city. 

We stopped in Rouen at the Grand Hotel 
d'Angleterre on the Cours Boleldieu facing the 
quai de la Bourse and found it very comfortable 
and convenient. Almost in front of us was the 
unique bridge, the Pont Transhordeur, which 
is a structure so lofty that the largest ships sail 
under it. From this high structure is suspended 
by long cables at the street level a platform 
which is run back and forth across the stream 
like a traveling crane, taking teams and people 
across the river without compelling them to 
climb the high ascent which would otherwise 
be necessary. 

32 



<Bnv Jfirsft 3^un in jFrance 



You cannot get away from the history of 
Jeanne D'Arc anywhere in Rouen. There is a 
great monument to her in the suburbs, another 
in the market square and near it a marble slab 
in the sidewalk records the place where she was 
burned at the stake in 1431. There are souvenir 
spoons of her and emblems of some sort or other 
in every shop, and we even saw ginger cakes in 
a baker's window so perfect in likeness that you 
would recognize her, leading one of our party to 
comment, incidentally, on the fact that she had 
always understood that ginger was noticeable in 
Joan's characteristics. 

Rouen is justly famous for her superb cathe- 
drals. They are creations of the best expressions 
in architecture and no one, no matter how much 
he may dread seeing Europe by the so-called 
"Cathedral Route," can fail to be impressed 
with the solemnity and grandeur of St. Ouen, 
the finest specimen of Gothic architecture in 
France. We were shown through it by a stately, 
white-bearded official who, dressed in a brilliant 
uniform with dangling saber at his side, would 
do credit to the Ambassador role at any court. 
He told us many interesting things, among 
others that the cathedral was over four hundred 
years in building and that after the crown was 

33 



iWotorins abraab 



set on Duke William's head in England he sent 
for Remegius from the Abbey of Fecamp to 
teach his new English subjects how the minster 
at Lincoln should be built. 

In the old church of St. Gervais is to be seen 
the original crypt which dates back to the fourth 
century. This is the earliest existing building 
in Rouen and in the monastery adjoining, the 
mighty William the Conqueror drew his last 
breath. 

As there is no opportunity of crossing the 
Seine, except by ferry, between Havre and 
Rouen, and as Honfleur was our destination, 
we turned back toward the sea, crossing to 
the other side of the Seine at Rouen. Honfleur 
is about the same distance from Rouen that 
Havre is, yet it is only about fifteen miles across 
the mouth of the Seine from the latter city. The 
locations of the two places are like the points of 
a hairpin, but to motor from one to the other 
you have to follow the pin all around. Either 
place may be seen from the other and we looked 
out of our window^s in the Hotel Frascati in 
Havre at night at the lights of Honfleur just 
across the bay, and yet to reach it by motor car 
we had to make a trip of one hundred and 
thirty miles. 

34 




chapter jFour 
^ng tfte Coasit of ^ommhp 



X^^ii 




We lunched in the vine-embowered court of 
the Inn de la Plage at Villerville, from which 
we had a glorious view of the sea. 



Cfjapter :f our 
Slang tfje picturesque Coas^t of iSormanb? 

THE road from Rouen to Honfleur is direct 
and too interesting to be omitted. It 
takes one through Port-Audemer, out 
past the Church of St. Germain and thence 
through a rich country to St. Maclou and Fique- 
fleur, where we caught another magnificent view 
of the mouth of the Seine, with Havre and its 
mass of spires and forest of masts set Hke a 
silhouette in the red glow of the evening sun. 

Honfleur, which has a history that runs back 
to the time of the Conquest, was a great com- 
mercial center in the years now grown musty. 
But the sea was unkind and gradually filled its 
harbor so that only the smaller boats can reach 
the wharves, and its rival, Havre, seven miles 
across the estuary of the Seine, has stolen away 
its commerce, leaving it a haunt of ancient peace, 
glorying in a past which is dead and gone. 

Like all these Normandy and Brittany towns 
upon the sea, Honfleur maintains its fishing 

37 



iilataring aitiroab 



industry and the return each evening of its fleet 
of quaint boats, each laden with its shining cargo, 
is a picture full of keen human interest and 
romance. The coming of the fleet awakens the 
town, which an hour before was apparently 
lazily idling the afternoon away, into the keenest 
activity. Every one seems to be alert, and the 
human tide sets for the beach as the boats with 
bright-hued sails filled, slide easily up the slop- 
ing sands. Once grounded they are surrounded 
by the women, young and old, rugged, strong- 
limbed and serious, who with their baskets 
quickly filled start across the w^de-reaching 
beach for the packing houses from which the 
catch is shipped to the markets of Paris and 
London. 

The most interesting architectural feature of 
Honfleur is the Cote de Notre Dame de la Grace, 
on an eminence back of the town. The chapel 
was built by Duke Robert the Magnificent. 
Near it is an excellent restaurant where the 
tables are set under the trees. It is a capital 
place for breakfast or dinner, and the view is 
well worth the climb. 

Leaving Honfleur w^e followed the road by 
the sea through several places, each like Crique- 
boeuf with its little ivy-covered church, having 

38 



laians tfje $ictures(que Coasft ot iSormanbp 



a characteristic charm, and reached Villerville 
in about twenty minutes. This is one of the 
towns so charmingly described by Anna Bow- 
man Dodd in her deHghtful book, "Three Nor- 
mandy Inns." We had determined to visit each 
of these inns and the reader can imagine the 
interest with w^hich we approached Villerville 
and the inn where, "over an arch of roses, across 
a broad line of olives, hawthorns and syringas, 
we could look from our bedroom straight out to 
sea," and where we might find "a smoking pot 
of soup followed later by a sole au vin blanc, sl 
bottle of white burgundy and a naturally ethereal 
souffle'^ awaiting us. 

The streets of Normandy towns, especially 
those along its coast, are not laid out for motor 
thoroughfares. Those which lead to the sea 
are steep and without method or width and 
many of them end abruptly in a series of stone 
steps. The lateral ones wind in every direction 
and we went through several in some of the 
small towns so narrow that the gables of the 
houses lean toward each other until they almost 
meet, while people had to step into doorways 
to let our motor pass. 

Villerville was a hopeless tangle to us, that is, 
the old town where the Inn de la Plage which 

39 



iWotoring abroab 



we sought was located, and we were just about 
to give up finding it when we discovered a lady 
and a gentleman sipping a liqueur in front of a 
little, unpretentious cafe. As if by instinct we 
felt that they could speak English and could 
direct us. "Oh, yes," they said, they knew 
where the inn was and were at that time on their 
way to take tea with the author of the book 
which had made it famous. Curious how small 
the world is! After a brief chat with them we 
left our car in charge of a diminutive girl, who 
climbed up into the chauffeur's seat with all the 
pride and confidence imaginable, and we walked 
down the narrow, steep street toward the sea. 
Our directions had been so definite that we 
were soon seated in the garden of the inn enjoy- 
ing the fragrance of the multitude of flowers and 
the picture of the sea spread like a great pano- 
rama before us. In the immediate foreground 
far below us at the bottom of the cliffs was the 
wide beach, dotted with striped, gay-colored 
awnings and white umbrellas under which were 
the artists from the Quartier Latin of Paris, who 
come in great numbers to these Normandy 
shores every summer to find subjects for their 
canvases. Beyond them were the fishing boats 
from which there passed a steady stream of 

40 




The Inn of William the Conqueror at Dives- 
Sur-Mer, Normandy, fascinated us with its 
quaint beauty and sweetness. 



Slang tfie ^icturesJque Coasft of iSormanbp 

bare-legged fisherwomen bearing away the 
day's haul. 

It was one of the times and places in this gar- 
den, where we did not care how many minutes 
Madame la Mire took in preparing the meal. 
True, the aroma which drifted over to us from 
the coffee which Plre was roasting in an out-of- 
door oven just over the hedge of roses, invited 
an even greater appetite, but there was so much 
to admire, so much of enchantment in the ex- 
quisite setting that we hardly took thought of 
the hour we waited for the steaming omelette, 
the poulette en crime, the delicious peas, arti- 
chokes and the potatoes all done to a turn. We 
could have stayed in Villerville for a week and 
enjoyed every moment, but we argued that this 
would be true of almost every place we saw, so 
bidding our hosts farewell in our best French — 
which they were too polite to smile at — ^we wan- 
dered back to our car, around which was 
gathered a large delegation of juvenile friends 
of our little maid, all apparently jealous of the 
great privilege she had been enjoying, but too 
well-mannered or too timid to climb in them- 
selves or to tamper with any part of the car. 

It is but three and a half miles from Viller- 
ville to Trouville, the one spot where the boule- 

41 



jfHatorins ^broab 



yards and cafes of Paris are best reflected by 
the sea. The road is fringed with villas of the 
rich, but there were few of these which were 
suflBciently attractive in architecture or setting 
to merit attention. We had decided, before 
leaving Honfleur, to stop at Trouville only long 
enough to get a glimpse of it because it is dis- 
tinctly a show place, resplendent in gaudy hotels 
and without special interest except as a type of 
fashionable resort. Its one great feature is its 
beach, said to be the finest in France, which, 
when we passed through, was thronged with 
holiday makers and bathers in gay French attire. 
From Trouville we followed the ocean road 
which reminds one of the famous Corniche 
Road from Nice to Cape Martin on the Riviera, 
so perilously near does it follow the cliffs over- 
looking the sea. We passed without a stop 
through Deauville, Benerville, Villers-sur-Mer, 
Auberville, Beuzeval, Houlgate and Cabourg in 
rapid succession, and reached Dives-sur-Mer in 
less than an hour. It is here that the Inn of 
Guillaume-le-Conquerant is located, the inn which 
by common accord among travelers, is one of the 
most attractive and interesting in the world and 
one of the three made famous in Miss Dodd's 
book. The first impression is one of disappoint- 

42 



along tlje ^ictures^qiue Coas^t of i9ormanbj> 

ment, for there is nothing in the architecture of 
its exterior to attract one. But once within its 
arched portal the fascination of the place is 
instant and everlasting. Let me quote from 
Anna Bowman Dodd: 

"A group of low-gabled buildings surrounded 
an open court. All of the buildings were tim- 
bered, the diagonal beams of oak so old they 
were black in the sun and the snowy whiteness 
of fresh plaster made them seem blacker still. 
The gabled roofs were of varying tones and tints ; 
some were red, some mossy green, some as gray 
as the skin of a mouse; all were deeply, plenti- 
fully furrowed with the washings of countless 
rains, and they were bearded with moss. There 
were outside galleries, beginning somewhere and 
ending anywhere. There were open and covered 
outer stairways so laden with vines they could 
scarce totter to the low heights of the chamber 
doors on which they opened; and there were 
open sheds where huge farm wagons were rolled 
close to the most modern of Parisian dog-carts. 
That not a note of contrast might be lacking, 
across the courtyard in one of the windows be- 
neath a stairway there flashed the gleam of some 
rich stained-glass, spots of color that were 
repeated, with quite a different luster, in the 

43 



jWotoring ^broab 



dappled haunches of rows of sturdy Percherons 
munching their meal in the adjacent stalls. Add 
to such an ensemble a vagrant multitude of 
roses, honeysuckle, clematis, and wistaria vines, 
all blooming in full rivalry of perfume and color; 
insert in some of the corners and beneath some 
of the older casemates archaic bits of sculpture 
— strange barbaric features w^ith beards of 
Assyrian correctness and forms clad in the rigid 
draperies of the early Jumieges period of the 
sculptor's art; lance above the roof -ridges the 
quaint polychrome finials of the earlier Palissy 
models; and crowd the rough cobble-paved 
courtyard with a rare and distinguished as- 
semblage of flamingoes, peacocks, herons, cock- 
atoos swinging from gabled windows, and game- 
cocks that strut about in company with pink 
doves — and you have the famous Inn of Guil- 
laume-le- Conquer ant !" 

We had a jolly dinner party at the Inn that 
evening, our genial friends from Waterbury and 
ourselves, our table being set under a rose- 
covered archway in the garden. Monsieur le 
proprietaire had, with the polish and diplomacy 
of an ambassador, suggested the various dishes 
and wines to us. "They would be just to our 
liking, he was confident, and it was so fortunate 

44 




It was with the keenest regret that we left the 
charming Inn of William the Conqueror, the 
most attractive place we found on our trip. 



aions tfte ^icturesJque €oa^t of iSormanbp 

that we had arrived on the very day when his 
larder contained the most deUcious sole he had 
had for a season, and not before this summer 
had he picked from his garden sweeter petit pois.^' 
And then the wines — ''How fortunate he felt 
himself in having saved just one — perhaps, oh 
yes! possibly two bottles of that famous vintage 
which His Grace the Duke had pronounced the 
finest he had ever tasted. Surely we should 
have it for were we not honoring him by remain- 
ing to dine and sleep at his modest Inn." Oh, 
he is a master, the proprietor of the Inn of 
Guillaume-le-Conquerant, and he deserves the 
success and the fortune he has made. 

While our dinner was being prepared we 
visited the great heavy-raftered kitchen hung 
with brightly polished Normandy brass cooking 
utensils, and watched the chef and his assistants, 
all dressed in spotless white linen, give the 
artist touches to the soups, the birds and the 
sauces. We tarried long at dinner, for it would 
have been little short of a crime to have hurried 
through such a meal, and then had our cigars 
and cafe noir at little tables set in the court under 
the overhanging, vine-covered balconies upon 
which the chambers opened. 

The next morning we breakfasted together 

45 



JWotoring ^broab 



under the rose arbor and afterwards regretfully 
took our leave of our genial host, who stood 
waving us adieux, with a grace known only to 
a Frenchman, until we were out of sight. 

From Dives we followed the sea as far as 
Sallenelles and then the shores of the river Orne 
inland to Caen, arriving there in time for lunch- 
eon at the Hotel Place Royale. At Caen, which 
is a place with a history running back into the 
earlier centuries, we remained only long enough 
to visit the Abbaye-aux-Dames founded in 1066 
by Matilda, the wife of William the Conqueror, 
and the Abbaye-aux-Hommes, founded at the 
same time by the Conqueror, himself, as an 
expiation for marrying each other against the 
laws which prohibited the marrying of cousins. 
These two churches are at opposite ends of the 
city and aside from their historical features are 
not unusual. The thigh bone of the great Con- 
queror is supposed to rest in St. Etienne, the 
Abbaye-aux-Hommes. It is all that is left of 
his remains for, according to history, a Calvin- 
istic mob broke into his tomb, stole the remains 
and, with the exception of a thigh bone given 
to a monk, lost or misplaced them later. This 
thigh bone, which had been bought by a specu- 
lator, was later brought back to Caen and is now 

46 



gilons tfje ^icturesfque Coas(t of igormanb? 

all that is left of this great man, who is not only 
associated for all time with the history of France 
and England but was for a generation the central 
figure of the world of diplomacy and conquest. 
His wife Matilda was buried in La Trinite, the 
Abbaye-aux-Dames, the church she constructed, 
and her tomb with a part of its original inscrip- 
tion may be seen, although her bones have been 
twice stolen but each time recovered and replaced 
and are supposed to be at the present time within 
its sacred confines. 

The history of William the Conqueror and 
Matilda is so closely interwoven with Nor- 
mandy that it is impossible for even the passing 
motorist to escape the taking of more or less 
interest in them and their lives. There is 
scarcely an important town in which the Con- 
queror did not construct a convent — twenty- 
three are credited to him — a church, or some 
building which in reconstructed form still re- 
mains. 

Leaving Caen we followed the Route Nationale 
to Bayeaux, a run of twenty-four kilometers 
(fifteen miles). We made it in about thirty 
minutes because the road was perfect and there 
was nothing of particular interest aside from the 
many little settlements or villages and the 

47 



ifHotoring aibraab 



walled farms so frequent in this section of 
Normandy. 

Bayeaux is a sleepy, old mediaeval town cele- 
brated the world over for its much-talked-about 
and badly faded tapestry. Of course, we had 
to see the tapestry, for nobody would think of 
going to Bayeaux without seeing it; thousands 
of tourists travel to the town every year for the 
purpose. 

As every one knows, this tapestry, which is 
about eighteen inches wide and two hundred 
and thirty feet long, was embroidered by the 
faithful Queen Matilda while her husband, 
William the Conqueror, was engaged in his seven 
years' war with England during the eleventh 
century. We followed the history of the war, 
as depicted in the crude portraitures of Matilda, 
marveled, with the astonishment which is ex- 
pected of all who see it, at her patience, and 
after we had tramped about halfway around it, 
the men of our party adjourned to the courtyard 
to have a cigar while the ladies, with their 
natural enjoyment of needlework, followed the 
story to its end. 

Between Bayeaux and St. Lo, our next point, 
we traveled for many miles through a great 
forest absolutely devoid of human habitation 

48 




In many of the French towns we had to stop 
and ask directions because the streets were a 
hopeless enigma to us. 



along tfte ^itturesfque Coast of iSormanbp 

save only the little sentry boxes a mile or two 
apart for the use of the gendarmes. It would 
have been a dreary place for a breakdown, 
especially as night was approaching and the 
drizzle of the afternoon was settling down to a 
steady rain. Our motor car, however, was as 
usual dependable, and we pulled up without 
incident at the Hotel de VUnivers at St. Lo, 
where we remained for the night. Early the 
next morning while walking through one of the 
narrow streets of the town I set out to make a 
photograph of the oddest traveling outfit I ever 
saw. A huge goat hitched with a little donkey 
was drawing a broken-down old gypsy wagon in 
which was a forlorn woman and a wild-looking 
man with hair and beard at least two feet long. 
I had just started to focus the camera when the 
man sprang at me with a volley of unintelligible 
oaths and clenched fists which made me con- 
clude that perhaps I had better get along without 
that particular picture. 

From St. Lo to Avranches, by way of Cou- 
tances, is a run of about thirty miles. In order 
to have an opportunity of studying the lesser 
thoroughfares of Normandy and to get farther 
back into the country, we followed the smallest 
roads, many of them actually taking us through 

49 



Jlotoring Sbroab 



the dooryards and barnyards of the peasants. 
Motor cars were evidently far more of a curiosity 
here than on the roads which we had previously 
traveled, and the tooting of our horn or wail of 
our huge siren generally brought everybody in 
the thatched-roof cottages to the doors, which 
we passed so close in many instances that we 
could have jumped into the house from the car. 
In every instance, however, while the motor 
attracted a great deal of attention, we had nothing 
but pleasant salutations and greetings, notwith- 
standing we frequently made the flocks of geese 
and chickens scatter to right and left, and hurried 
the bunches of protesting pigs out of our way. 

At Avranches we overtook our friends from 
Waterbury, who had gone on the night before 
from Bayeaux through to Avranches instead of 
stopping, as we had, at St. Lo. We had much 
diflBculty in finding the Grand Hotel de France 
et de Londre, a little house with a big name, 
where we had agreed to meet, as it was tucked 
in around the corner of a narrow street and was 
approached through an entrance which gave no 
indication whatever of its being the main ap- 
proach to the largest hotel of the place. 

We adopted on the outskirts of Avranches our 
usual plan of hiring a small boy to ride with us 

50 



9lons tlje ^icturesfqiue Coasft of iSormanb|> 

on the car and direct us to the hotel. We found 
this the best way in every place where we desired 
to reach a particular spot, or even go through 
the town. There are always small boys to be 
found and their delight at riding in the motor 
is doubled by the few centimes which they accept 
with many expressions of ''Merci, Monsieur.'' 
In several instances, however, we found that the 
small boy was up to his pranks or else was trying 
to get a longer ride. In one town in particular 
a little chap whom we had employed for the 
purpose took us no less than four times across 
the town, and each time, when we got to the 
outskirts, would protest that he did not under- 
stand us, although from the merry twinkle in 
his eye once or twice discovered, I imagine that 
he was enjoying what he thought was a most 
excellent and well-executed joke, by which he 
had secured a long motor ride and became the 
envied of all of his chums. 

After an hour spent in the attractive flower- 
filled courtyard of the hotel at Avranches we 
started with our Waterbury friends for Mont St. 
Michel. 



51 




2 «te 



1 I 



^ -t 




Cijapter jFtoe 

iflTont ^t. iHicfjel anb tfie 
aaoab to ^t iHalo 



Cfjaptet jFibe 

®\xv l^feit to iWont ^t. iWicftel anb tlje 3Roab to 
g>t jWalo 

AS all roads lead to Rome so all roads in 
/-% this part of France lead to Mont St. 
Michel. It is the one great tourist and 
excursion center to-day, as it was the one great 
citadel of ancient times. The Mont has been 
so often described that almost every one is 
familiar with its strategic position and its par- 
ticular appearance. In the early times it was 
approached only by boat, except at low tide, 
but to-day the trip is made over the superb 
causeway constructed across the two miles of 
sand bar at an enormous cost, and at low tide 
or high tide the Mont may be reached now with 
equal ease and comfort. The tide has a rise 
and fall here of from forty to fifty feet and the 
beach slopes so gradually that the water recedes 
from eight to twelve miles. When the tide 
comes in it comes with such speed that it is 

55 



jWotorins ^broab 



unsafe to venture far out upon the innocent- 
looking sands. 

The first view of the Mont from the mainland 
is not impressive because of the distance from 
which it is seen. It looks like a huge spire out 
in the water, but as you get near to it and look 
up at it in all its majesty the impression is 
magnificent and indelible. 

Every square foot of this mountain of rock 
out in the sea has apparently been built upon, 
and tier after tier of buildings or battlements 
have been constructed until the top is reached; 
upon which stands the beautiful Abbey crowned 
by a spire reaching a hundred feet above the 
minarets of the roof -line. As you look up at 
the Mont from its base you are so impressed 
with its enormous height and narrowness that 
you cannot avoid the impression that some of 
these houses are likely to slip off the side and go 
tobogganing down into the sea. 

There is no other spot in the world just like 
Mont St. Michel. It has an individuality en- 
tirely its own, although its little terrace gardens 
overlooking the sea remind one of Sorrento and 
Capri; but its charm is largely neutralized by 
the fact that it is overrun by thousands of ex- 
cursionists and tourists. From the moment 

50 



ifWont ^t iWicfjel anb S>t. iHlalo 

you put foot inside the Porte du Roi until you 
leave you are being importuned to buy all sorts 
of knick-knacks and souvenirs, post cards or 
photographs. Its restaurants are all represented 
by "barkers" who stand on the outside and try to 
get your patronage, and even after you escape 
from the single street at the base of the mountain 
and climb far up toward its summit, where you 
think you are out of the atmosphere of trade and 
commerce, you are cajoled into a museum and not 
allowed to escape without being importuned to 
buy cheap jewelry and other novelties. 

But, despite all these distractions, despite the 
hard climb which every one who visits the Mont 
must take, the view from its summit and the 
magnificence of its Abbey, the original of which 
was constructed by Bishop Aubert in 700, fully 
compensate for the time and labor. Under- 
neath the Abbey v/e were shown the horrible 
dungeons with which the rock is honeycombed, 
and lifelike images of many of the celebrated 
prisoners formerly kept there, which have been 
placed in many of the cells to add to the grew- 
someness of the place. It is a wonderful spot 
which no one going to Normandy should fail 
to see, and while the fame of the omelettes 
and roast chicken still prepared and served 

57 



iWotaring ^broab 



personally by the gracious Poulard Aine divides 
the fame of the place with its architecture and 
history, there remains so much of beauty, so 
much of historical lore that one could remain 
for several days and enjoy every hour. 

As there was so great a crowd at the Mont we 
decided to push on to St. Malo that night, a run 
of only about two hours, and so retraced our 
steps to the garage where we had left our motors. 
The garage consists of a narrow strip of beach 
outside of the old stone gate of the Mont. The 
automobiles for some reason are not allowed 
to remain on the causeway which ends at the 
Mont, but are compelled to go down and park 
on the sand. We did not discover why this 
was necessary unless it was to enable the keeper 
of the garage to exact from us a tip of a franc 
for his supposed watchfulness of our motor, lest 
it should sail off into the ocean while we were 
within the walled town. 

The run from Mont St. Michel took us back 
over the causeway to Pontorson on the mainland, 
and thence through the quaint little city of Dol, 
the first city we entered in Brittany, for the 
River Couesnon, which we crossed at Pontorson, 
is the dividing line between the two provinces, 
Normandy and Brittany. 

58 



ifWont ^t JWicfjel anb ^t iWalo 

We approached St. Malo just at evening, and 
it made one of the most pleasant impressions 
upon us of any of the towns visited on our trip. 
The rain, which had been nothing short of a 
downpour during our run, had ceased and the 
evening sun was setting a thousand windows of 
the town ablaze. 

St. Malo is one of the few mediaeval towns of 
France. It is entirely surrounded by an ancient 
wall still maintained in a perfect state of preserva- 
tion. We entered the town through the Porte 
St. Vincent, an immense archway through the 
ramparts guarded by soldiers, and found our 
hotel, the Hotel de France et Chateaubriand, 
only a few hundred yards distant. This is one 
of the most delightful hotels in Normandy and 
we were soon comfortably located in a very 
attractive suite of rooms overlooking the sea. 
Almost under our windows were the great ram- 
parts of the town, with a wide promenade along 
the top. These ramparts entirely encircle the 
old city and the promenade forms an interesting 
walk, especially when one realizes that the 
structure is a relic of the sixteenth century, and 
that countless hordes have been tramping its 
flagging for several centuries. From our win- 
dows we could see Grand-Bey Island, the chief 

59 



iWotoring Sbroab 



feature of which is the soKtary grave of the great 
Chateaubriand, who, with becoming pomp, was 
interred there because of his wish to rest near 
the ever-changing sea which rises and falls here 
thirty feet wdth every tide. 

We found St. Malo very much to our liking. 
Our hotel was excellent and this always regulates 
to a greater or lesser extent one's impression of 
a place. The town is literally crowned with 
fortifications and still takes pride in the fact 
that it defied all the efforts of the English to 
capture it. It is limited in area to the space 
within its great walls, so that every available foot 
of ground is built upon and its houses have 
been built higher than in any other place in 
France. There is room only for a limited popu- 
lation in St. Malo, and, as a consequence, St. 
Servan across the harbor on one side, and Dinard 
across the River Ranee on the other, have taken 
over and profited by the surplus population. 
The former place is reached by a platform bridge 
which moves by steam power back and forth 
across the harbor upon rails laid at the bottom 
of the bay, the passengers being forty feet above 
the rails and on a level with the land. It is a 
curious sight to see this elevated platform upon 
steel stilts moving through the water by a power 

60 




The public laundries along the river front are 
institutions of many French towns. 



iMont ^t iWicftel anb ^t. iMalo 

which is unseen, but is really supplied by a sta- 
tionary engine on the St. Servan side. Because 
of the enormous tides on this part of the coast 
all the quays at St. Malo are built of stone and 
on a slope to accommodate the small steamers. 
Otherwise at low tide it would take an elevator 
to get people up on the quay from their decks. 
St. Malo's shops and streets are quaint and 
interesting. The latter are narrow and filled 
with people, the walls echoing with the clatter 
of the sabots of the peasants. In the evening 
the park-like plaza near the Porte St. Vincent 
was gay with the music-loving populace who 
filled the sidewalks and a large portion of the 
pavement, sitting at the little round tables and 
listening to the female orchestras of the rival 
cafes. These female orchestras are an institution 
of France. We found them in almost every 
town and their playing was exceptionally good. 
We patronized several of the cafes and found 
them generally most satisfactory. Here, as in 
almost all provincial towns in France, the waiters 
serve your drinks in glasses set upon saucers 
upon which, burned in under the glazing, is the 
price you are to pay the waiter. This saves all 
disputes and as the price named on the saucers 
is charged up against the waiter when he receives 

61 



JWotorins ^broab 



them it enables the proprietor to get all that is 
coming to him. 

Dinard, opposite St. Malo, is one of the most 
fashionable French resorts, largely patronized 
by English people and the aristocrats of France. 
Its hotels are flagrant in their garishness while 
its villas are stiff and pretentious. Dinard is 
ultra-fashionable, and one can find there, if 
looking for it, about as gay social life as any- 
where in France. 



62 




Cfiapter Mx 
Motmmhp anb l^vittanp 



chapter ^ix 

Wbt Cfjaratterfetitsi of iSormanbp anb Prittanp 

^otunis; 

THE sea along the northern coast of Nor- 
mandy seems to smile rather than frown; 
to caress rather than smite; for at no 
place are there evidences of the fierce combat 
between surf and shore line which mark almost 
the entire coast of Brittany. It seems to be 
ever a land of sunshine and prosperity, the fields, 
reaching to the very edge of the sea, fertile and 
heavy laden with the luxuriance of nature. In 
and out among them, passing every few miles 
through some quaint little weather-beaten town, 
winds the main road. For miles it hugs the 
shore line and gives one such a succession of 
glorious views that it seems a pity to leave them 
with no greater appreciation than a passing 
exclamation. 

We counted the trip along the coast from 
Honfleur to St. Malo alone worth the trip to 
Europe. Those automobilists who think they 

65 



iWotoring aijroab 



are seeing Normandy and Brittany when they 
rush, as many of them do, from Paris through 
Evreux, Lisieux and Caen to St. Malo and its 
sister resort, Dinard, are "doing" the country as 
many of our American tourists do Europe, on 
the hop, skip and jump; too busy and too 
hurried to enjoy the really delightful things 
which go to make the trip most enjoyable. 

Normandy and Brittany towns have a quiet 
sweetness in which the strident call of commerce 
and the bustle and noise of our American towns 
are strangers. Wherever commercial activity 
comes in the charm goes out. There is little 
striking in the contrast between the country and 
the small towns. You leave the brilliant-colored 
poppies in the fields to meet the timid, open-eyed 
children in the village streets and you simply 
exchange the peasants working at the roadside 
for the white-capped women knitting in their 
doorways, and the men, wooden-sabotted and 
clad in blouses and baggy trousers, at their work. 
There are no striking contrasts between country 
and village such as we are accustomed to in this 
country. A Normandy or Brittany village is 
but a cluster of thatch-roofed cottages, pictur- 
esquely set amid the trees and fields. 

The larger places of course, lose from very 

66 



^rmanbp anb Pn'ttanp Wobim 

necessity the pastoral features of the villages, 
but in them you see nothing of the broken-down 
and often filthy outlying portions observable as 
you approach most American cities. If the sec- 
tion is one of poverty it will be picturesque — 
not made hideous with the dumpings of the 
town's refuse. Neatness and attempt at beauti- 
fying are observable everywhere. 

Even in the country we found the edges of the 
roads and the rows of trees often trimmed with 
care. No family is so poor that it cannot have 
some bright flowers in window boxes and a 
greater variety in the always-present little garden. 
One of the most notable features of both town 
and country is the absolute lack of idleness. 
Thrift and industry are written everywhere. 
These are characteristic of the French people and 
show in their governmental balance sheet, for 
France has not one cent of bonded indebtedness 
held by any one except French people. When 
Bismarck levied a war indemnity on France 
after the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, so great 
that it was thought that it would take France 
generations to pay it, it was paid ''out of the 
stockings" of the masses with a promptness that 
surprised the world. 

Another charm of France is the perfection of 

67 



iWatoring Shroab 



its small hotels and inns. What is the national 
secret which the French people possess which 
enables the smallest wayside inn to set before 
you a dainty, well-cooked meal, well served and 
appetizing, and a palatable wine of the country 
at such a trifling cost? Some writer has referred 
to the "divine gift of cookery." It certainly has 
not been inborn with the American as it has 
been with the French. We found no village so 
small that we could not get in it at insignificant 
cost a well-prepared meal of appetizing, daintily 
served dishes. 

All of the larger towns have two distinct 
phases — the modern and the ancient. This is 
illustrated in the old portion of most towns, 
where the houses are so old that often their 
tops almost lean against each other across the 
narrow streets. In the modern portion you will 
usually find handsome shops, artistic architecture 
and beautiful residences. 

There are certain characteristics in the French 
cities which are alike in every town, large or 
small. The chief point of interest is always the 
cathedral. These vary in magnificence from 
the Notre Dame in Paris, the Grand Cathedral 
in Rheims and the St. Ouen at Rouen, to the 
little, quaint structures in the far-off towns of 





There is everything for sale in the markets 
from laces to cattle, and these bazaars furnish 
an excellent place for countryside gossip. 



iSormanbp anb JSrittanj> CotonsJ 

Brittany. But, great or small, every city or 
town has a pretentious church, with its customary 
statues and classic architecture. 

Another invariable feature of the French town, 
and incidentally one of its most attractive ones, 
is the market place, which appears to be the 
social as well as the commercial center for 
the peasants of the surrounding country. No 
one ever seems particularly anxious to sell in 
these markets. You will see the women, alf 
wearing their white caps and wooden shoes, with 
umbrellas over them, sitting in their stalls 
knitting and gossiping, and chattering away 
like magpies, while blue-bloused men stand in 
groups discussing in an animated w^ay, but 
apparently regardless of whether purchases of 
the sleek cattle offered for sale are made or not. 
There are no better places to see and study 
people than in these market places. You will 
find on sale in any of them not only vegetables 
and products of the dairy, but calicoes, shoes, 
velvets, coats, lingerie, bonnets, and confections, 
all in one heterogeneous combination. 

The visitor lives very well in Normandy and 
Brittany, even at the smallest inns. Of course, 
the fish are as fine as can be found in the world 
and in great variety. In season you will get 



iWotoring ^tjroatr 



excellent oysters and you rarely find an inn so 
small that it does not have a dish of appetizing 
crevettes, or shrimp, among the hors d'ceuvres. 
The meats are invariably good; chicken is 
omnipresent. One rarely gets wine on the table 
in this part of France, unless it is specifically 
ordered, as little wine is made in Normandy or 
Brittany; the drink of the country is the native 
cidre for which no charge is ever made at meals. 
To those accustomed to American cider, the 
French cidre is not particularly palatable, but 
it is a wholesome drink and, after one becomes 
accustomed to it, quite enjoyable (if you like it). 

Prices are invariably low except in the larger 
places. One can tour Normandy, Brittany and 
Touraine and live delightfully at an expense of 
from ten to twelve francs ($2.00 to $2.40) a day; 
this including your bed and three meals with all 
the cidre you can drink thrown in. 

We had been cautioned before we started on 
our trip not to draw up at a hotel or inn in our 
motor as we should immediately be considered 
American millionaires and charged accordingly. 
We were told to leave the motor some little dis- 
tance from the inn and have one of the party 
stroll up with a "don't-care-whether-I-stay-all- 

night-or-not" air and make terms first. We 

7« 



iJormanlrp anb prittan|> arotans; 

soon found that was needless, and after the first 
few days drove up to the hotel or inn entrance with 
the utmost abandon and still secured the best ac- 
commodations at reasonable prices. Especially 
was this true when I showed my membership card 
in the Touring Club de France, This member- 
ship, which cost me, as noted elsewhere, a mere 
trifle, paid for itself over and over again, as there 
is a discount of from ten to fifteen per cent, given 
at all the hotels named in the Touring Club 
list, which includes the best in all towns. This 
saving, of itself, with a party of six, amounted 
during our trip to a considerable sum. 

Normandy and Brittany together are the land 
of legends and romance, but there is a noticeable 
difference in the people. The Breton is stalwart 
in stature, stern and serious in disposition. He 
has hewed his life out amid serious things and 
along the rocky roads. His bronzed face looks 
austere, but beneath his blue blouse beats a 
heart warm and true. The primitive simplicity 
of his life and the intenseness of his religion 
gives the Breton a short view of the frivolities 
of existence. He carries his religion into his 
daily life and work and along all the roads are 
gaudy crucifixes which the peasants never pass 
without kneeling and crossing themselves. 

71 



iWotoring Sbroab 



It is characteristic of all these Brittany folk 
that they mind their own business. I don't 
know what the result would be if you were to 
try a joke on them. I should be afraid to under- 
take it. Life is a serious problem to the Breton. 
It is homespun for him even though the rest of 
France may be arrayed in silks. He has worked 
out an existence against great odds and it has 
given him a character and physique which makes 
him notable among his fellow countrymen. 

These features are also characteristics of the 
Normandy folk, but to a less degree. They 
have prospered more than their Breton brothers, 
their lands yield them easier and greater harvests, 
and they are a little closer in touch with the 
world outside. But, taking them both side by 
side, they outmeasure in every point of compari- 
son their brothers in corresponding walks of life 
in the rest of France. 

One no sooner crosses into Brittany than the 
change in the topography is noticeable. As you 
proceed westward toward Brest (a trip which we 
did not make) there are long stretches of uninter- 
esting road, the country growing more and more 
rugged and barren as you approach this great 
shoulder of France, which braces itself against the 
ravages and mighty tides of the Atlantic. 

72 




chapter feeben 
(Kftrougfi 3l^omantic JBrittanp 




Is e 



1- 



!•: 









chapter ^eben 

jFrom M. iWalo ^outJi SCljraufil) 3&omantic 
Prittanp 

FROM St. Malo our route took us almost 
due south through quaint old Dinan to 
Rennes, the ancient capital of Brittany, 
which we reached after a delightful run of about 
four hours. We stopped here at the Hotel 
Moderne facing the river Vilaine, and as it was 
Saturday night we put in the evening on the 
streets and in the various cafes where we could 
listen to the music and study the people. Nearly 
every cafe had its female orchestra, composed 
of fair French damsels dressed in white. They 
played near the open doorway or out on the 
sidewalks surrounded by the people sitting at 
the small tables which, usually at all these 
French cafes, stretch far out into the street. 

Although the next day was Sunday, we got 
an early start and made the longest run of our 
entire trip, covering one hundred and seventy- 
three miles. Our morning run, without a stop, 

75 



iHotoring Sbroab 



took us through Plelan and Ploerinel to the 
interesting old town of Vannes, where we had 
a delicious hmcheon at the Hotel Dauphin, 
We were greatly entertained here by a large 
wedding party which was having a jolly time, 
utterly unmindful of the presence of Americans, 
or any one but themselves. 

During the day we met many families home- 
ward bound from church in their big-wheeled 
carts drawn by sturdy horses. These carts, like 
the New York street cars, always afford room 
for one more, and we counted as many as eleven 
people in one cart, all dressed in the customary 
garb of Brittany; the men with their wide- 
brimmed straw hats, with the broad black- velvet 
ribbons hanging dow^n behind, and the women 
with their best Sunday caps. It was noticeable 
that the horses did not pay the slightest atten- 
tion to our motor, nor did any of the people, 
other than to give us a serious nod as we went 
spinning by them. 

During the forenoon we passed through a 
number of little villages, all of which had their 
churches, toward several of which the Pardon 
parade was wending its way. The Pardon is 
characteristic of Brittany. It is a religious 
festival to which the people come from long dis- 

76 




When we reached the great Druidical stones at 
Carnac the Brittany children were anxious to 
show us everything of interest. 



tances, and it is so closely interwoven with the 
history of Brittany that many volumes have 
been wa^itten descriptive of it. We each expressed 
a wish to remain long enough to attend some of 
these novel and interesting services, but had to 
satisfy ourselves with a cursory, passing glance 
at the processions, in which many striking ban- 
ners were borne. Just w^hat these banners typify 
I do not know, but they add a characteristic 
picturesqueness to the scene. 

In front of nearly all of the little churches 
which we passed, and some of the more preten- 
tious ones, there were temporary booths for 
the sale of all sorts of articles, including hats, 
socks, calicoes, and other dress goods, as well as 
articles for the farm. It seems to be quite the 
custom in Brittany to attend divine service first 
and then barter for such goods as might be 
needed, after the religious services are finished. 

When we left Vannes we went by the most 
direct road to Auray, about a half-hour's run, 
and there turned southwest toward Carnac 
down by the coast which we reached about an 
hour after leaving Vannes. We were eager to 
see the Druidical monuments known as Menhirs 
and Dolmens, the great stones of mythological 
age. These and the Giant's Causeway, which 

77 



iMotoring gibraab 



we visited later in Ireland, are two of the most 
wonderful things in the world — one erected by 
man and the other a creation of Nature. The 
hotel manager at Vannes had given us a little 
map which enabled us to go directly to the most 
interesting part of these enormous fields of rock, 
taking in Ploermel and Plouharnel on the way. 

The story of these stones — as to what they 
are; what kind of people put them there; why 
and when they were put there — has never been 
told and probably never will be. They are 
practically as prehistoric as the formation of the 
world, and as we drove our motor car, a symbol 
of the latest creation of man, out on the moors 
among these tokens of the musty ages, a feeling 
unlike anything which we had ever felt before 
came over the entire party. Here was an illus- 
tration of the spanning of time. Here on the 
very spot where the first known labor of man is 
exhibited stood also his latest production — one 
the work of a people unknown, the other the 
most recent effort of the most modern nation on 
earth. 

The pyramids of Egypt have a history which 
has been unraveled and written by archaeologists. 
Pompeii is relatively modern; the statues of 
Rameses and the art of the Nile are as open 

78 



jFrom ^t iWalo aTfjrougj) Jirittan|> 

books compared with the history of these great 
rocks. 

The Menhirs and Dolmens are scattered all 
about the section south of Auray, but down near 
Carnac there are three groups set in lines as 
straight as a modern engineer could draw them 
and forming nine or ten avenues. There are 
874 in one of the rows, 855 in another and 262 
in a third; it is said there were 15,000 originally. 
The stones, which are equal distances apart, 
vary in height from three to twenty feet, the 
largest having an estimated weight of forty to 
fifty tons. No stone of the same geological forma- 
tion is found nearer than three hundred miles and 
the mystery of their being placed here will proba- 
bly never be solved. Like many other unusual 
prehistoric things there are many legends con- 
nected with these stones. One is that they were 
hurled from the moon by Beelzebub at the people 
living there with whom he was displeased. 
Another has it that St. Cornely, pursued by 
enemies, reached the sea and as he could go no 
farther, appealed to Heaven for help and was 
given power to turn all the soldiers chasing him 
to stone, and they have been there ever since. 

One of the interesting features of our visit 
was our meeting on the road ten or a dozen little 

79 



iWotoring ^broab 



Breton boys and girls, who made us understand 
that if we wanted to take the best road to the 
stones they would direct us. We told them to 
climb aboard and they swarmed in on us so that 
every part of the car, including both running 
boards, was occupied, jabbering to us in their 
vernacular French of which we could not under- 
stand a word. They were all neatly dressed and 
clean and seemed to enjoy the ride hugely, en- 
tertaining us after we reached the field by 
climbing up on the stones and trying to point 
out interesting things to us. When w^e started 
to leave and our own party had gotten into the 
car the children, without formal invitation, all 
climbed aboard again, for another ride back to 
the place where we picked them up. As we 
finally bade good-bye to our little friends we 
turned our "Loco" toward Nantes, about eighty 
miles away, where we intended to spend the 
night. 

Our run back through Vannes and then on 
through Muzillac, LaRoche-Bernard, Pontcha- 
teau and Savenay to Nantes on that glorious 
Sunday afternoon will never be forgotten. The 
road was perfect and almost as straight as an 
arrow would fly. We reeled oft* mile after mile 
through an unending arbor of trees, the car 

80 



jFrom ^t. ilalo ^fttougl) prittanp 

"purring", as one of my daughters expressed it, 
as it spun along over roads as smooth as a tiled 
floor. It was roller-coasting most of the way. 
Down a long hill where we would gain the 
maximum speed and then up another hill to 
coast down the farther side; past thatched-roof 
cottages and fields of wheat, heavy-headed for 
the harvest; through villages and forests, on we 
sped catching kaleidoscopic glimpses only, 
but enjoying to the fullest the glorious flight 
from the sea, which we had left at Carnac, to 
the beautiful valley of the Loire, the sister river 
of the Seine in the affections of the French 
people. 

We had no difficulty in finding the Hotel de 
France at Nantes, one of the best houses, by the 
way, we stopped at in France. Its proprietor, 
who has the art of being "mine host" most agree- 
ably and acceptably, has made the hotel one of 
of the most perfect in every detail. It is beau- 
tifully decorated, has modern bathrooms and a 
cuisine which will long be remembered by any 
visitor. Adjoining the house, which is on the 
public square, is the largest cafe in Nantes, and 
it being Sunday evening, the little tables had 
been placed far out into the square. The or- 
chestra was playing and altogether the scene 

81 



ifHotorins atiroab 



formed one of those charming effects impossible 
anywhere except in France. 

We spent only a night and a day in Nantes, 
and as we left I asked the proprietor to give us 
directions for following the most direct route 
out of the city on our way to Tours, the capital 
of Touraine. As illustrating the minute atten- 
tion given to details for the convenience of his 
guests he handed me a little outline map which 
showed the route so plainly that we had no 
difficulty whatever in finding our way out of the 
city and on to the main road. 

We had expected to reach Tours that night, 
but were caught soon after leaving Nantes in a 
blinding rain storm, w^hich continued with such 
persistency that we were obliged for safety's 
sake to run very slowly, the rain beating so hard 
against the window of the apron of our hood 
that it was almost impossible to see through it. 
We took the main road on the north side of the 
river through Ancenis and Varades, crossing the 
river at Loire to Mont jean to shorten the run 
by saving the detour made by the main thorough- 
fare through Angers. We found the roads 
excellent, notwithstanding they were not main 
lines of travel. In passing through one of the 
little villages we had our nearest approach to an 

82 




It was Sunday afternoon and the Brittany 
folk were gathered about the village well for 
friendly gossip. 



:f rom ^t iWalo tKfjrougl) Jirittanp 

accident. A demure-looking horse tied to the 
back of a cart whirled around just as we were 
passing, let fly both heels and came within a 
foot of hitting one of our party squarely on the 
head. The idea of being injured by a horse's 
kick while touring in a motor was so absurd that 
it took the edge off the seriousness of the 
occurrence. 

It was just about dark, the storm had stopped 
and the sky was clearing, when we reached 
Saumur, and we decided that we had better 
remain there all night. The Hotel Budan, 
which we had selected, had a most uninviting 
aspect itself, although it was directly facing the 
beautiful river and adjoining the bridge spanning 
it; but this house, like many others in France, 
is not to be judged by its exterior. We found 
the rooms most comfortable and the obliging 
proprietor, although we were late for the regular 
evening meal, prepared and served for us a 
delicious repast, which, after our long ride of 
the afternoon, we devoured like hungry wolves. 
We found our rooms furnished in antique 
furniture that would set the heart of the con- 
noisseur palpitating. There was one piece par- 
ticularly that struck our fancy, and I began a 
flirtation with the proprietor to know whether 

83 



JWotoring Sbroab 



he would sell it. Well, yes, he might sell it, 
although he had never set a price upon it. An 
American had offered him fifteen thousand 
francs for it last year, but he had not cared to 
let it go at that price. Being in Europe with a 
family and an automobile on my hands, I im- 
mediately suspended negotiations. 

Saumur is known for the excellence of its wines, 
its great Government cavalry school at which 
there are four hundred cadets, and the ruins of 
the chateau of the Queen of Sicily, built for her 
by King Rene in the fifteenth century. 

Early the next morning we were off for Chinon, 
all eager to get our first glimpse of a real chateau, 
for we were now approaching the far-famed 
chateau section of the Loire, the locality of all 
others most closely associated with the kingly 
history of France. 



84 




chapter Cigfjt 
3[n tfje Cfjateau Country 



Cfjapter Cistit 

3n tfje J^eart of tfje Cljateau Country anb tlje 
^allep of tije Eoire 

AFTER leaving Saumur we followed the 
A\ wooded valley of the Loire for about 
fifteen miles and then motored along 
the attractive shores of one of its tributaries, the 
Vienne, to Chinon, a brisk little town about 
nine miles from the junction of the river with 
the Loire. As we crossed the old stone bridge 
we stopped to look down upon a small army of 
the village housewives doing their week's wash- 
ing in the river. These public laundries, which 
look like houseboats, are one of the features of 
French towns; that at Chinon being quite a 
pretentious affair two stories high. The peasant 
women kneel at the edge of the platform, having 
in front of them their rubbing boards, and 
dip the clothes in the swift-running stream, in 
the meantime chattering among themselves like 
a flock of excited magpies, dispensing, I suppose, 
all the latest gossip of the town. 

87 



jWotorins atbroab 



A tree-fringed quay runs along the river bank 
and, towering over the quaint old houses which 
almost lean against each other on each side of 
the narrow, crooked streets, are the ruins of the 
noble chateau which has made Chinon historic. 

The site on which it was built is such a com- 
manding one that the Romans erected a fort 
upon it and strongly fortified it during the period 
of their occupation. The chateau was formed 
by what were really three distinct castles built 
in the eleventh century. One was occupied by 
Jeanne D'Arc, Here lived, too, within the now 
ruined walls, Louis XI, Louis XII and Charles 
VII, and here were enacted many social scenes 
in keeping with the great splendor of the times. 
There is little left to interest now except the ruins 
and the view from the ramparts, which latter is 
one of the finest in all France and well worth the 
hard climb one has to take to enjoy it. 

It is about thirteen miles from Chinon to 
Azay-le-Rideau and the road leads for practically 
the entire distance through the heart of one of 
the many national forests of France. As there 
were no villages between the places and the 
road was broad and as smooth as newly laid 
asphalt, we let our motor car do its best and, 
almost before it had fairly settled down to its 

88 




In some of the norroiv HUage streets nf Nor- 
mandy we had to drive cnrefuU]i in passing 
other m,otors. 



3n tfje lleart of tfje Chateau Countrp 

work, we flew past the scattering houses in the 
quiet suburbs of Azay and drew up at the Hotel 
Grand Monarque, a diminutive house with a 
grandiloquent name, the only public house in the 
quaint little town of less than twenty-five hun- 
dred inhabitants. We left the motor car in front 
of the hotel while we were in at luncheon. As 
usual the little American flag which was pre- 
sented to us for the purpose was fastened to one 
of the side lamps, and the trunks on the rack, 
attracted attention to us as tourists, and when 
we came out the car was surrounded by the 
ever-present gathering of gaping peasants and 
timid children. It did not annoy us, however, 
as we had become thoroughly accustomed to 
having "the committee of a hundred," as we 
termed it, supervise our arrival and departure 
from almost every place. Notwithstanding the 
apparent interest in us, nowhere on our entire 
trip did we meet with the first suggestion of 
impertinence from any one, nor was anything 
which we had left in the car meddled with or 
taken. 

The Chateau of Azay-le-Rideau is one of the 
scenes we wish to perpetuate in memory. In 
architecture and in setting it is a gem. It ap- 
peals to the eye and to the senses as a thing of 

89 



iMotoring abroab 



beauty and interest. A short walk from the 
hotel through an unpretentious lane brought us 
to the main entrance of the estate — an iron- 
grated gate. At its side stood the porter's lodge 
from which the woman attendant came in 
answer to our ringing the bell, and opened the 
gate for us with a pretty courtesy and smile of 
welcome. Through the vista of great trees and 
framed on every side by vines and hedges of 
jasmine, we had our first glimpse of the chateau, 
which, since 1520, when it was built, has stood 
as a model of a style of architecture that has 
never been surpassed for grace and simplicity. 
It stands almost within the bed of the river 
Indre, whose waters flow around the foundations, 
moving noiselessly over a bed woven thick with 
long green grasses. The mirror-like surface of 
the water reflected the graceful towers and spires 
of the chateau, which show nothing of the ravages 
of time, and the vine-covered bridge forms such 
a beautiful and fitting approach that we all stood 
in silent admiration of this exquisite gem of the 
Renaissance. Set in the center of a park of a 
thousand acres, far away from the strident calls 
of a busy world, and surrounded by that which 
accentuates its beauty only, it is little wonder 
that Azay-le-Rideau is called the jewel of Tou- 

90 



3n tfje J^eart of tfie Cfjateau Countrp 



raine, and has been the motif and inspiration 
of many of the finest architectural creations of 
modern times. 

We stood for a moment as we were leaving 
the park to enjoy one long look at the chateau, 
and then regretfully retraced our steps toward 
the hotel, stopping for a few minutes to purchase 
some post cards of the attendant at the gate who 
has learned, as many of her country women 
have, the art of making politeness profitable. 

Had we had more time we should have run 
from Azay to Langeais, only a few miles north 
on the other side of the Loire, to have seen its 
great chateau, which is considered the master- 
piece of fifteenth century military architecture. 
So, we have no memory of it; only the regret at 
having passed it by. We concluded, however, 
to go direct to Tours that evening, a run of about 
sixteen miles. 

We could not help noticing as we spun along 
through town and country, the complete change 
in the manner and dress of the people and the 
architecture of the buildings from that which 
we had been seeing the past week. The pic- 
turesque characteristics of the Brittany people, 
the severe faces of the sturdy, well-built men and 
the white caps of the women had given place 

91 



iWotoring ^broab 



to the typical, small-statured French peasant, 
devoid of individuaUty. The sweetness of the 
Normandy lasses, with the fetching little caps 
and lace collars, had been superseded by cheap 
affectations of Paris modes. The transition was 
too great to be overlooked, yet it was all interest- 
ingf as all of France is interestino;. But it was 
not like Normandy with which we were all in 
love — nor Brittany which had appealed to us 
with singular force. 

Touraine is world-famed for its chateaux, 
many of them still maintained in perfect condi- 
tion, and there are still to be seen in Normandy 
and Brittany many of these beautiful country 
homes of classic architecture and perfect lines. 
They are generally set far back from the road 
and are approached by a double, and sometimes 
as many as six rows of magnificent trees and are 
always surrounded by wide lawns, fringed with 
flowering shrubs and forest trees. We passed 
scores of these beautiful places of which there 
are more than twenty-three thousand in France, 
each with its own name, and wished that we 
might have the opportunity of enjoying the life 
in them as it must be lived by the aristocracy 
and wealth of the various communities. . 

As the center of the chateau region is Tours, 

92 




These peasant women know the duties of the 
burden bearer, and seem to assume them as a 
matter of course. 



3n ttje J^eart of tlje Cljateau Countrp 

so is the Hotel de VUnivers the center of Tours. 
We telegraphed several days in advance for 
accommodations, but when we arrived at this 
beautiful house, we were assured that while our 
telegram had been received, it was utterly im- 
possible to accommodate us. The clerks, all 
of whom were young women, as they are in most 
of the hotels in France, were very obliging, how- 
ever, in directing us to a near-by house, where 
we might have been satisfied to remain had we 
not had a glimpse of the other. 

After dining at our hotel, we strolled over to 
the Hotel de VUnivers and spent the evening in 
the large out-of-door court, meeting there a 
number of friends and several acquaintances 
who had crossed with us on the Amerika. We 
all had stories to relate of our experiences and 
we exchanged notes and suggestions on the 
many interesting things to see. Several of our 
friends had been at Tours for a number of days 
and had visited the several chateaux, all within 
a day's trip, so that we eagerly devoured the 
information they gave us as to how we could 
make the most of our time. 

Tours is the social as well as the natural cen- 
ter of Touraine, and any one desiring to visit 
the chief chateaux, can do no better than to 

93 



Jflotorins ^broab 



locate there, and then take short trips each 
day, coming back to the hotel at night. Some 
idea of how many tourists are doing this may be 
inferred from the fact that in the garage at the 
hotel, which opens directly from the court 
through ornamental iron doorways, we counted 
one evening more than sixty cars, all of them 
owned by guests at the house. 

A little before noon of the day following our 
arrival at Tours, we set out for Chenonceaux, 
the most famous, perhaps, of all the chateaux. 
The run of twenty miles took us through a 
pretty country south of the Loire, and we drew 
up in front of the little Hotel dii Bon Laboureur 
in good season for luncheon, which was so 
excellent that we willingly paid the two and a 
half francs for each person and did not begrudge 
a liberal tip to the cheerful little French maid 
who served it. The chateau is about a mile 
distant and the entrance is by a long road densely 
shaded by immense trees forming a veritable 
arbor of foliage. We left the motor car at the 
end of this road near the great wrought-iron 
gates, which have been copied at one of the 
fine places at Newport, and walked up the 
broad roadway, stopping at the donjon for per- 
mission to enter the chateau. 

94 



3n tfje lleart of tfje Cftateau Countrj> 

The impression of this vast edifice, which has 
played so important a part in the history of 
France, is that everything has been done to 
make it grand and massive. As it is built on a 
stone bridge spanning the river Cher, you may 
enter it on one side of the broad stream and 
leave it on the other. It is now leased to a rich 
Cuban family named Terry, one of whom mar- 
ried the late American opera singer, Sybil San- 
derson. 

Chenonceaux is, next to Azay-le-Rideau, the 
most perfect of all the chateaux in Renaissance 
architecture, and it has been the home of Cather- 
ine de Medicis and several of the French kings. 
There are probably few buildings in the world 
which have been the scene of as many brilliant 
social settings as Chenonceaux, and it is thor- 
oughly associated with the early political life of 
France. 

We spent the hour before sunset in walking 
about the exquisite gardens and along the banks 
of the Cher, enjoying the view of the graceful 
and historic building from its every side. Early 
in the evening we returned to Tours and after 
a delicious dinner, sat far into the night with 
friends out under the palms in the open court, 
exchanging what I fear was in most instances 

95 



JWotoring abroab 



newly acquired knowledge of French history 
and architecture. 

The following day we visited Loches, and to 
all of us one of the most interesting of the cha- 
teaux. Unlike Azay-le-Rideau and Chenonceaux 
it is in ruins and all the more interesting on this 
account, as many of the chateaux have been 
modernized and rebuilt to the point where in- 
terest in them is greatly impaired. The castle 
of Loches is built upon an enormous hill im- 
mediately overlooking the tow^n. You could 
spring from its ruined walls without touching a 
thing upon the roofs of the houses far below. 
Within the court is the famous horse chestnut 
tree, a species which is native to France. This 
tree, which is of enormous size, has often been 
described. Its branches measure more than 
one hundred feet across from tip to tip, and it 
is in a perfect state of preservation. The only 
tree of its kind which is at all its equal in size 
and beauty is the tree in the private grounds of 
Bayard Stockton, Esq., at Princeton, New Jer- 
sey, and it is said that this tree was grown from a 
sapling brought over from this famous tree at 
Loches, by General Lafayette. A sapling of this 
Princeton tree, presented to the author, is en- 
joying a flourishing grow^th upon his farm in 

96 



1 






?^ 


■MB 


^^3 


Wmw--'-^-^ 


# 


'' --^- -Ij^glllllHIlBlL 


^ ^•"j 


/ ~ 




i ■ 








i 





T^^7^ the splendid signboards in France and 
the perfect road maps we had little trouble in 
keeping on the right road. 



3n tfje ?|eart of tfje Ctiateau Cauntrj> 

Connecticut, and may some day, it is hoped, 
reach such a dignified size that it will reflect 
credit on its distinguished ancestors. 

Loches was greatly enjoyed by all of us. Its 
great square keep, built in the eleventh century 
with walls of great thickness, its deep, damp 
dungeons down which we crawled and felt our 
way, led by a dapper little woman whose candle 
insisted on going out, leaving us in pitchy dark- 
ness, were intensely interesting and novel. We 
were shown the supports from which was hung 
in the gloomy confines of a tower the great iron 
cage in which Louis XI confined Cardinal La 
Balue and several others whom he did not like, 
and the exquisite tomb of Agnes Sorel ''la Belle 
des Belles,'' the mistress of Charles VII. Agnes 
was the lady who exerted herself so vigorously 
in an effort to have the English expelled from 
France. You would never, however, suspect 
her bellicose disposition from the sweet and 
placid expression shown on her face as she lies 
there, life size, in cold marble, with her hands 
folded peacefully over her breast, and her tiny 
feet resting on a pair of lambs while two angels 
kneel at her head. 

Loches looks old from every point of view, and 
our guidebook told us that its history runs back 

97 



iWiotaring ^broab 



to the fifth century — quite a time when counted 
by years. The day we spent there was among 
the most interesting of our entire trip, and the 
place should be included in every itinerary of 
the chateau country. 

The road back to Tours might be chosen as 
a sample of an ideal French boulevard. The 
distance is just forty kilometers and our "Loco" 
reeled it off, without a stop, at a kilometer a 
minute and this without pushing the car in the 
least. We made the run just at the most beau- 
tiful time of the day, the early twilight, reaching 
our hotel in time to dress for dinner. 



98 
















u " 



Chapter i?me 
jfrom Coursf to $an's; 




The cliff houses along the Loire River add an 
interesting feature to the trip from Tours to 
Orleans. 



Cfiapter Mnt 

:f torn Coutfi;, bp WHap of jFontainetileau anb 
^ersiaiUes;, to ^arfe 

THE next day we followed the road along 
the edge of the Loire and had a good 
opportunity to study the interesting 
habitations of the cliff dwellers along the river. 
There was just room enough between the river 
and the cliffs for the road and the attractive little 
cottages and gardens, with here and there a 
stately villa. Immediately back of them rose 
the precipitous palisades which for miles are 
dug out in places and occupied as homes by the 
poor. It was very interesting to study the 
different architectural effects created by the 
windows and doors cut out of these solid rocks. 
Some of the people live sixty or seventy feet 
above the ground and approach their houses by 
steep flights of steps cut out of the side of the 
rock. Vines grow over many of the houses and 
in almost all of the windows were boxes of 

101 



JWotoring abroab 



bright-colored flowers and one enterprising man 
has turned his cave into a resort where motor 
cars may stop and enjoy a good meal, selecting 
their own mushrooms from the beds which he is 
cultivating in an adjoining cave. Presumably 
the people living in these places have no fear of 
cyclones or of any one cutting off their view of 
the surrounding country. 

For many kilometers before we reached Am- 
boise, where we had planned to make our first 
stop, the road is built along the top of a dike 
like those one sees in Holland. On one side 
and close to us was the river and on the other, 
stretching away almost to the horizon line, were 
the fertile fields saved to the peasants by the 
building of this great dike to keep back the 
water. Long stretches of the ever-present pop- 
lars, tall and shapely, marked the outlines of 
the little farms, and, snuggling in among them 
were the thatched-roof cottages in which all of 
peasant France lives in apparent peace and 
comfort. 

At Amboise we had an excellent luncheon at 
the Hotel Lion d'Or, and then set out to see the 
chateau from whose battlements Francis II, and 
his bride, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Catherine 
de Medicis, surrounded by the princes and 

102 



jFrom 3rour£( to ^ari£J 



courtiers, looked down upon the butchery of 
one thousand two hundred Huguenot conspira- 
tors, who had plotted to remove the young King- 
Francis. A grew some story is that of Amboise, 
for throughout its whole early history it was 
associated with treachery and carnage, and in 
later years was used as a state prison. Viewed 
as we saw it in the bright sun of an August 
afternoon, w^th its gray old walls looking mel- 
low and peaceful, there was nothing, even in its 
interior, which we had the privilege of inspect- 
ing, that would suggest even in the most remote 
way the thrilling scenes it had seen enacted. 

The early afternoon saw us again in our 
motor headed for Chaumont, the road still 
clinging close to the banks of the beautiful 
river, and giving us, as it had from the time we 
left Tours, an endless panorama of picturesque 
farms and villages, past which we flew at a speed 
which would put a New York bicycle policeman 
into action at sight. We did not stop at Chau- 
mont even to see the exquisite chateau which 
was so dear to the heart of Catherine de Medicis 
and which, although it is now owned and oc- 
cupied by a private family, retains many of its 
feudal features. We felt that it would pay us 
better to save time at Chaumont and spend 

103 



JMotoring Stiroab 



more at Blois, and in this our judgment was 
good. 

There are two things which we shall always 
remember in connection with Blois. They form 
a sort of happy combination of the sublime and 
the ridiculous. The first is, of course, the 
magnificent chateau and the other the delicious 
cheese wrapped in lettuce leaves and served with 
a sauce of kirsch which w^e had with our coffee 
at the Grand Hotel de Blois, The chateau was 
superb, the cheese a gastronomic inspiration, 
and the two will go galloping down the corridors 
of our memory whenever Blois is mentioned. 
So many descriptions by noted and able wri- 
ters have been given of this most famous of all 
the French chateaux that I shall not attempt 
even to tell of our admiration of this magnificent 
pile which stands as an everlasting monument 
to its great founders and architects. Its ex- 
quisite fa9ades, its wonderful exterior staircase, 
built on the principle of a seashell, its great halls 
and galleries, its romances and history are all 
blended in our minds with one enduring impres- 
sion which time will not obliterate. 

Leaving Blois we followed the main road, 
which for twenty-five miles is as straight as an 
engineering line could be laid, through Orleans, 

104 



ife^ 




JjJv^JKjmIBP^^^-^ 


,^^"^:>'',.-*^'11 


M 




-* 


^ 


, ^ 








^^"*--«Cr. 



TFe ran for miles through the magnificent 
forests of Fontainebleau. just as the sun was be- 
ginning to cast its longest shadows. 



Jfrom tloursi to ^aris; 



and reached the forest of Fontainebleau about 
sunset, so that we had a half -hour's ride through 
the labyrinth of its roads at the most delightful 
part of the day. This famous forest, which is 
the most beautiful in France, and probably the 
most perfect of any in Europe, has been under 
Government supervision and management for 
generations. It covers 42,500 acres, an area 
fifty times as great as Central Park in New 
York City, and crossing and recrossing in every 
direction are innumerable roads, varying from 
beautiful boulevards to the narrowest bridle 
paths, all kept in most perfect condition. 

In the city of Fontainebleau, which is almost 
in the center of this vast forest, we selected the 
Hotel de France et d' Angleterre as the best one 
at which to stop. This hotel is directly opposite 
the palace, and is one of the most attractive 
public houses in all of France, outside of Paris. 
I asked the manager to show us a suite of rooms, 
and he took us into what we have all agreed was 
the most fascinating suite we have ever seen in 
any public or private house. When I was told 
the price for our party, I could readily under- 
stand how the proprietor had been able to furnish 
the house throughout with the exquisite and 
classic furniture and rare engravings which had 

105 



iWotoring Shroab 



been bought from time to time from the palace. 
It would be a sweet thing to sleep in a bed 
which had been occupied by the great Napoleon 
and which is surmounted with the panoply of 
state; it would be a notable pleasure to bathe 
in a bowl and use water from a pitcher which 
had been used by the Empress Josephine; it 
would be interesting to sit in front of the window 
looking out on the palace in the chair often 
occupied by Napoleon's chief of council — but 
these things come too high for an American 
business man on an automobile trip, and I con- 
cluded that sixty dollars a night might be 
considered a trifle expensive for such accommo- 
dations. I, therefore, suggested to the manager, 
in my politest and what my wife calls my best 
style, that while the price was reasonable con- 
sidering the historical interest of the furnishings, 
three plain, clean bedrooms would be suflBcient 
to meet our desires. I think he was rather 
inclined to take exception to my judgment, but 
assured me that he could give me comfortable 
rooms at a less price in the annex, and we were 
soon settled in a delightful suite at what was 
reasonable for the Hotel de France, but, never- 
theless, was the highest price we paid in France, 
even including accommodations in Paris. 

106 



Jfrom 3Dours; to ^arfe 



We were so infatuated with the hotel and its 
surroundings, and the delicious, perfectly served 
dinner which we had among the flowers in the 
garden, that we telegraphed our friends from 
Waterbury, who were to follow us the next day 
from Tours, telling them to be sure to stop at 
this hotel. They arrived just after we had left 
for Versailles and were shown the same suite of 
rooms which were shown us. My friend was 
so delighted that he failed to ask the price, or 
the price of his dinner in the garden that evening. 
The next morning when he paid his bill he had 
a cruel awakening, and when we met in Paris he 
had not yet reached normal temperature after 
having expressed his opinion to the manager of 
the house for his charges for a night's lodging 
and dinner. This house is the best one at 
which to stop in Fontainebleau, but unless one 
is a millionaire and cares nothing for expense, 
it is advisable to ask prices of everything in 
advance, especially as no prices are printed on 
the menu card. 

The run from Fontainebleau to Versailles was 
quickly made, but one of the most interesting 
incidents of our entire trip was experienced here. 
We had taken the wrong road, as we were too 
much interested in what we were seeing to watch 

107 



jWiotoring ^broab 



the signboards, and as we were passing a large 
limousine going in the opposite direction, we 
discovered in it an intimate friend whom we did 
not know was in France. He spied us at the 
same moment. Of course both cars were 
stopped and after being presented to his friends 
we had an enjoyable visit before parting com- 
pany. By a curious coincidence, they had 
gotten off their road, as we had, and if either 
one of us had been on the right road, we should 
not have met. 

We spent only an hour at Versailles, as we 
had previously visited its palaces and gardens, 
and left for Paris by the w^ay of Sevres and St. 
Cloud, passing in the suburbs of Versailles the 
golf club whose links are among the best in all 
Europe. On this road we struck the horrible 
pave so universal all about Paris. It is a 
curious thing that while in general the roads of 
France are world-famous for their excellence, 
the approach to Paris from any direction by the 
main route is inexcusably bad. The pavement 
is old and rough with frequent deep and danger- 
ous ruts and the streets full of the heavy trucking 
teams with often four horses tandem. As we 
came nearer to the city, we had numerous tram 
cars and motor 'busses to add to our discomfort. 

108 




The railway gates of the many grade crossings 
in France are usually in charge of women. 



jFram SToursi to ^arfe 



We came into Paris by the way of St. Cloud, and 
entered at the gates taking us into the Bois de 
Boulogne. Here we were stopped by the officials, 
who measured the gasoline in our tanks and 
charged us the tax which amounted to a little 
more than five francs, giving us a receipt for the 
amount paid. Everything which enters the city 
of Paris is taxed. All of the market women 
bringing in fruit and the truck gardeners bringing 
in their loads of vegetables have to pay the city 
tax, the octroi. 

We reached the city just at the delightful time 
of the afternoon when the Bois de Boulogne and 
the Champs Elysees were crowded with fashion 
in all sorts of vehicles, from the beautiful 
limousine motor cars to the inevitable and omni- 
present fiacres. We found our way directly, and 
without incident, to the Hotel VAthenSe, where 
our friend, the manager, assured us, with the 
grace which only a French host possesses, that 
he remembered with much pleasure our previous 
visits and hoped that we should find ourselves 
comfortable and that we would make a long 
stay. 

We sent the car around to Fournier's garage, 
one of the best in Paris, although the charges 
are rather high compared with those in provin- 

109 



iWiotorms aibroab 



cial towns, but not with American prices. As 
we were staying but two days in the French capi- 
tal, we decided to make use of the motor cabs 
for any running about that we had to do. The 
drivers in Paris, both of automobiles and car- 
riages, are reckless in the extreme. The streets 
are so congested that there is little pleasure in 
driving your own car with constant risk of col- 
lision or accident. The recklessness of Paris 
motorists and drivers is proverbial. That there 
are not more accidents is a wonder. A speed of 
twenty to forty miles an hour seems perfectly 
allowable on city streets, and it is the duty of the 
pedestrian to get out of the way. It is said that 
if a person allows himself to be run over in Paris 
he is arrested for it. The one great crime for 
which instant arrest follows is to "smoke" your 
car, and K this prohibition was enforced in our 
own country it would do much to change the 
sentiment of the masses against motors, espe- 
cially in the cities. 



110 




chapter tlen 
Jfrom $aris( to poulogne- 




We rode for miles over these perfect French 
roads, through an apparently unending arbor 
of double rows of trees. 



Cfjapter Km 

®nx TLa&t Bun in jFrance from $arte to 
poulosne=^ur=iWer 

WE left the Hotel VAthenee in Paris 
just at noon on Sunday for Boulogne, 
from which port we intended to cross 
to England. We wended our way out through 
the almost-deserted streets (for all Paris, like 
London, empties itself into the country every 
summer Sunday), to the Champs Ely sees and 
then up to the Hotel d'lena to bid our friends 
from Waterbury adieu as our touring together 
had ended at Paris. Their itinerary took them 
to Belgium and Germany and ours took us to 
England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. We 
left them with keen regret because, from the 
time we had sailed from New York, we had 
been almost continually together. During our 
tour in France they sometimes preceded us to 
places and again we would precede them, but 
if we were not actually together on the road, we 
were at the same hotels and enjoyed their agree- 

113 



iWotoring glbroab 



able companionship to the fullest extent. When, 
therefore, we turned our car toward the Arc 
d'Triomphe and entered the Avenue de la 
Grande Armee, we felt a sense of loneliness, 
realizing that we were to make the remainder of 
the trip by ourselves. 

The Avenue de la Grande Armee might now 
properly be called the Avenue de la Grande 
Automobile^ for, from its beginning at the Arc 
de Triomphe to the Neuilly Gate, it is lined on 
either side with garages or supply shops. When 
we reached the city gates we were stopped by the 
officials who measured the gasoline in the tank 
of the car as it had been measured when we 
entered the city. As we had put none in while 
in Paris, we had several gallons less than when 
we paid the octroi, or city tax, two days before. 
The officials took our incoming receipt and after 
a little figuring, gave us back three francs (sixty 
cents). We said "Merci'' and "Au Revoir'' in 
our best French and took our official departure 
from Paris. 

We had decided to leave the city by the main 

route through St. Germain and the St. Germain 

Forest and then go north through Pontoise and 

Beauvais. In about an hour after leaving the 

Neuilly Gate we crossed the Seine upon one of 

114 



(But lasit 3Run in jFrante 



its many bridges and started up the long, cir- 
cuitous hill leading to St. Germain, which stands 
as if it were on the top of the Palisades, and we 
had crossed the Hudson and had to go up the 
well-known Fort Lee hill to reach it. 

From the bridge we had seen, far up on the 
summit overlooking the valley, a prominent 
sign of a hotel and concluded that this would 
be a good place at which to lunch, as the 
view of the valley of the Seine would be par- 
ticularly fine from that point. As we rounded 
the summit after climbing the long hill, which 
nothing but a high-powered car could climb 
comfortably, we saw what we supposed was the 
pretentious entrance to the hotel grounds and 
at its side an attendant in livery. 

My daughter, who spoke French, inquired of 
the guardian of the gate if we could procure 
dejeuner there. As he replied with the custom- 
ary ^'Oui, oui, entrez,'' in we went, with exhaust 
wide open, for the grade was rather sharp and 
we had not had a fair running start. 

Once within the brick wall which surrounded 
the yard, we saw spread before us a beautiful 
picture. Here under the great spreading trees 
on the smoothly clipped lawn were placed scores 
of small tables around which were gathered a 

115 



©ur lasft SRun in Jfrance 



arisen from their seats and were having an ani- 
mated discussion of which we were unquestion- 
ably the subject. We assured the waiter that we 
had made a most unfortunate mistake, owing to 
the statement of the attendant at the gate that we 
might come in and have dejeuner^ and that we 
wished that he would express our regret to the 
gentlemen who were discussing the matter, and 
say that we would retire at once. He stepped 
over to them and while he was talking a gentle- 
man approached us and said in French that we 
probably did not know that this was a Club and 
that none but members were admissable, but 
that he thought he could arrange it so that we 
might have our dejeuner^ as we had made the 
mistake inadvertently. He went over to the 
officers of the Club and apparently said the 
same thing to them, but we saw by the shake of 
their heads and wild gestures that they were 
obdurate and that it was clearly etiquette for us 
to retire as gracefully and as speedily as possible. 
While the discussion was going on, the ladies 
of our party were made the subject of the keenest 
observation of every woman there and it was 
evident were being thoroughly discussed. The 
situation became most embarrassing, and we 

should have left the club had not the gentle- 

117 



iHotoring ^liroab 



man who so kindly interceded for us despite 
our protests, insisted that we remain; we felt 
that we could not leave without giving offense 
to him. The officials were insistent, however, 
and our friend found himself so strongly op- 
posed in his effort to extend to us the hospitality 
of the Club that he finally, with a generosity 
and a spirit which we will always remember 
with appreciation, exclaimed: "Then I make 
these people my personal guests and they shall 
remain." 

He stepped over to us and told us of what he 
had done, and begged that we would be seated 
and hoped that we would enjoy our dejeuner. 
Then he brought his wife over and presented her 
to our party and became, in fact as well as in 
name, our host. We were so impressed with 
the entire absence of anything like courtesy on 
the part of the officers of the Club that we feared 
our protector might subsequently be made to 
suffer for having shown himself to be the only 
member with sufficient politeness to rise to the 
occasion and to do what every American motorist 
would have done under similar circumstances. 

The dejeuner was easily one which might be 
accepted as an illustration of science in French 
culinary art. From the delicious melons to the 

118 



0nv lasft 3&un in Jprance 



cheese and coffee, it was perfection itself, and 
for all of the courtesy thus extended we were not 
permitted to spend a centime. It has since been 
my pleasure to continue a correspondence with 
Monsieur Romeo, the gracious gentleman who 
constituted himself our advocate and friend 
(who, we found, was not a Frenchman, but an 
Italian non-resident member of the Club) and 
to have sent him several souvenirs of America, 
for which he has expressed the highest appre- 
ciation. 

After leaving the Club, we turned to the right 
and took the boulevard which runs for a mile 
or more along the brow of the cliffs fringing the 
Seine. To our right and far below us was a 
magnificent view of the stately, tortuous river 
with the villages dotting its farther shore. To 
our left and skirting the boulevard was a row 
of Normandy poplars, so thickly set as prac- 
tically to form a hedge fifty or more feet in 
height. On the broad walk of turf between 
them and the roadway was a throng of pedes- 
trians in their best clothes promenading much 
as they do on our own Riverside Drive in New 
York on Sunday afternoons. 

At the end of the boulevard we turned into 
the great forest of St. Germain, winding through 

119 



JWotoring ^broab 



it to its farther end. This is one of the noble 
forests of France which, with others, the Govern- 
ment has had the good sense to preserve. Here 
within twenty miles of Paris is a great natural 
park intersected and crossed by roads and paths 
and yet left in a primitive wildness which is 
picturesque and delightful. Shortly after com- 
ing out of the forest we passed through Pontoise, 
and without stopping continued through Meru, 
Beauvais and Marseille, having along the way 
a continuous panorama of exquisite views. 

We reached Abbeville just about dark, and 
driving into the court of the Hotel de la Gare, 
were soon settled in comfortable rooms. After 
a very good supper we went out to see the town 
by night. Like all the French cities it has an 
interesting history and several buildings ante- 
dating the discovery of America, but we did not 
visit any of them, our minds being full of cha- 
teau lore, Anne of Brittany, and Francois le 
Premier^ of which we had so much in Touraine. 

We left Abbeville after breakfast for Bou- 
logne, our last run in France. The road was 
one of the finest we had found anywhere in the 
country. It followed close to the coast line and 
ran for nearly the entire distance under an arch 
of foliage, with waving fields of grain on either 

120 




The boys drive the flock of goats from door to 
door and milk them in the presence of the cus- 
tomer. 



0nv la£^t 3Run in :f ranee 



side. It was a glorious ending of our tour in 
France and our motor car fairly flew over the 
smooth-surfaced road, through the little villages 
and past the thatched-roof cottages, carrying us 
over as beautiful a country as ever the eye of 
man rested upon. The day was an ideal one, the 
air sweet with the fragrance of the crops and the 
sea sparkled like molten silver and sapphire as 
we caught fleeting glimpses here and there. 

Upon arrival at the Hotel Pavilion in Boulogne 
we busied ourselves at once in making arrange- 
ments for taking our car across the Channel on 
one of the boats of the London and Southwestern 
Railway which sail morning and evening, be- 
tween Boulogne and Folkestone. 

We visited the agent of the company and 
booked the car for the evening boat, as we had 
arrived too late for the morning sailing. We 
were instructed to have the car over on the quay 
one hour before the evening sailing time, and to 
draw all the gasoline from the tank. We were 
there on the minute and found the agent's as- 
sistant, who had charge of the shipment of cars, 
waiting for us. We turned the receipt for the 
customs which we had paid at Havre over to him 
and it took him only a few minutes to make out 
our bill of lading and give us the necessary 

121 



jWotoring Siroab 



papers. The cost of taking the car across from 
Boulogne to Folkestone was £5, 5s ($26.25) at 
the company's risk. If we had sent it at our 
own risk the charge would have been JB4 
($20.00). 

We found the arrangements for handling cars 
at Boulogne most complete, as many motors 
are taken back and forth on each trip during the 
summer season. Our car was pushed upon a 
heavy platform and a heavy bar was placed 
across each end, close up against the tires and 
fastened in place by substantial iron pins. Bars 
running lengthwise were also fastened in place 
so that the car could not move forward, back- 
ward or sideways. Four heavy cables were 
attached to the platform, one at each corner 
with a crossbar above the car to keep the cables 
from "pinching" it, and these were in turn 
fastened to the main chain of the steam derrick. 
This was all done in five minutes and soon our 
car was swung off the quay, over the side of the 
boat and carefully lowered to the open lower deck 
of the steamship. Underneath the platform of 
the open cradle were small iron wheels, and the 
deck hands, as soon as the car was lowered, 
rolled it back into its stall and blocked it so that 
there was no danger of its being damaged by any 

122 



0nv lasft 3^un in jTrance 



motion of the boat, which, on the Channel, is 
usually unsteady. 

As soon as the car was landed on the English 
boat, the customs officers refunded the duties 
which I had previously paid in Havre, but they 
would not do so until the car had been deposited 
in the boat, this being evidence to them that it 
had officially left France and been placed under 
the British flag. 

There was a slight charge for handling the car 
and I dispensed the customary number of tips 
to the longshoremen who worked on the job. 
In fact, by the number of them who gathered 
around me, bowing and scraping, with palms 
extended, I should have thought that half the 
population of Boulogne had taken part in the 
work. I discovered in the front row of the tip 
seekers, one old Frenchman whose share seemed 
to have been to stand open-mouthed as the car 
was lifted up into the air preparatory to being 
swung around into the hold of the ship. I sup- 
pose he felt that his assistance in watching the 
job had been very helpful. It reminded me of 
a little chap who pumped the wind into the 
church organ and used to brag after the service 
about "the fine music we made to-day." 

We had passed the day at Boulogne very 

123 



JWotoring ^broab 



delightfully. It is an interesting place and one 
can get there a glimpse of the attractive French 
seashore life as it is among the most popular 
resorts of France. We spent the morning in 
looking about the shops and put in the afternoon 
on the broad beach, watching the crowds of 
bathers in their gay and somewhat startling 
costumes, and the larger crowds of fashionably 
dressed French people grouped under the bright- 
colored awnings which extend for a quarter of 
a mile along the sands. Following the bathing 
hour, we adjourned as is the custom to the 
grounds of the beautiful casino, built at the very 
edge of the sea, and listened to the concert of 
the fine band which plays there every after- 
noon and evening in summer. 



124 




chapter Cleben 

:ffttntf) l^oabg anb tfieir 
Cxcellente 



Cfjapter Cleben 

S>Dmetl)ins ^bout jFrencft Eoabj{ anb tJieir 
excellence 

THE roads of France, which by common 
consent are the best of any country in 
the world taken as a whole, are classified 
in four divisions : 

First — The Route Nationale; 

Second — The Route Departmentale; 

Third — The Chemin de Grande Communica- 
tion; 

Fourth — The Chemin de Moindre Importance. 

The Routes Nationale are the most direct 
avenues between the large cities. In former 
times they were paved with large, flat stones, but 
almost everywhere now, except in the towns, 
these stones have been taken away and the finest 
surfaced macadam substituted. A map of France 
showing the Routes Nationale would resemble a 
railroad map, with New York or Chicago as a 
center, in that all chief points are to be reached 

127 



otoring Sbroab 



from a hub or center which in France is Paris. 
These roads are maintained by the national 
government and the grades upon them have 
been reduced to a minimum. The various de- 
partments of France build and keep these roads 
as ordered by the general government and so 
perfect is the supervision that they rarely show 
need of repairs. The roads are divided into 
very short sections, and an official is in charge 
of each. If any stones become detached or 
any ruts appear the damage is immediately 
fixed with the same degree of care that would be 
exercised in repairing tiling in your bath room 
floor which had become loosened. 

In riding in an automobile over the roads of 
France, there is so little vibration that many of 
the notes from which this book has been written 
were made in the motor car while it was running 
at good speed. If any reader desires to know 
just what this means, let him try making notes 
while riding on an American road. There was 
also very little dust and in many places none, 
except on the lesser roads. 

The Routes Departmentale, or second grade of 
roads, have no paving stones except in the towns 
and are, in many parts of France, in as good if 
not better condition, than the Routes Nationale, 

128 




It takes the firmest resolutions to keep from 
speeding on these superb French roads, better 
than park boulevards in America. 



>omett)ing ^hont Jfrencfj Boabs; 



They are built, repaired and cleaned by the 
various departments of France. 

The Chemin de Grande Communication, or 
third division roads, lead from commune to com- 
mune, or village to village. These roads are 
repaired and kept in order by the respective 
communes, and while they are narrower than 
the roads already named, are kept in nearly as 
good condition. The Touring Club of France 
has contributed large sums of money to several 
communes which felt that they could not afford 
to keep the roads in the highest state of perfec- 
tion. 

The Chemin de Moindre Importance, the fourth 
division roads, run from farm to farm and are 
paid for and kept in order by the commune or 
village in which they lie. They are mostly so 
narrow that two motors meeting have to pass 
very carefully, but they are always free from 
ruts, and in a condition which would put nine 
tenths of the American roads, even the most 
important ones, to shame. In fact, nowhere on 
our entire trip through France did we find a 
piece of road which could be called poor except 
in the suburbs of Paris and these were mostly 
miserable. 

The roads of France suffer more in dry weather 

129 



jHotoring ^broab 



than in wet, and to prevent dust and to keep the 
surface of the road moist, there are hundreds of 
miles fringed by trees on either side. The plant- 
ing and kind of tree is determined by the general 
government and severe penalties are imposed on 
anybody who mutilates a tree in any way. 

The United States could learn a great deal 
from France in the matter of road making, and 
each State interested in good roads could spend 
money to no better advantage than by sending 
its engineers in charge of road building to 
France to study the system of building and 
maintenance. The French never permit a mac- 
adamized road to fall into bad repair. They act 
on the principle that a stitch in time saves nine, 
and that if the smooth surface of the macadam 
is broken in any place it is easier to fix it immedi- 
ately while the damage is insignificant than to 
allow it to wear into a great hole which will be- 
come a nuisance, if not an actual menace. As 
the stone used in making the roads contains 
considerable natural cement, it becomes almost 
solid in time. 

In many places each gutter is carefully paved 
with stones so that the water may be carried off 
without cutting ruts in the macadam at the edges. 

There are many stretches of the chief roads in 

130 



^ometfjing about Jfrencf) J&oabs; 

France which run for miles in an absolutely 
straight line. The country is invariably rolling 
and it is nothing unusual to come to the summit 
of some hill and see the road stretching away in 
front as straight as a die and as far as the eye 
can reach. 

Another feature of the French roads is the 
entire absence of fences. Fields come to the very 
edge of the grass bordering the rows of trees that 
line the roads, and in the northern provinces 
especially, almost every foot of the acreage seems 
to be tilled. 

Motoring is ideal when it can be enjoyed under 
mile after mile of arched foliage, past fertile 
fields and picturesque, though often poverty-like, 
thatched cottages, with here and there attractive 
chateaux and villages as features of the land- 
scape. Some one has said that motoring along 
one of the roads of France reminded him of 
winding up a great strip of white ribbon. 

There is a surprising number of railway 
crossings at grade in France, but in every in- 
stance there are gate keepers and gates for the 
protection of travelers. The gates are kept 
closed and opened only by the keepers, most of 
whom are women, provided there is no train due 
within ten minutes to half an hour. 

131 



ifMotoring Slljroab 



Another feature of the roads of France is the 
ever-present guidepost. Many of these are sur- 
mounted by an iron plaque, about two feet 
long and a foot high. Occasionally these 
plaques are fastened to some substantial wall. 
They are usually white and blue enamel and 
show, without any possibility of mistake, not only 
the commune or township in which they stand, 
but the next important place in either direction 
as well as the distances between all the chief 
points upon that route. Thus you will find, if 
you are traveling on a road which leads to Paris 
that the name of the metropolis will appear on the 
signboard, although it may be several hundred 
kilometers distant. 

In addition to these guideposts the Touring 
Club de France and the Automobile Club, and 
a private automobile manufacturer have put on 
the chief roads a series of signs and symbols to 
indicate to motorists and bicyclists what sort of 
a road they are approaching. The sign ''ralen- 
tir^' which, translated into good United States 
slang, means ''slow up," has caused many a 
motorist who was unfamiliar with the road he 
was traveling, to go slow and to find shortly after 
the sign had been passed that it was well that he 
paid attention to it, because of a steep grade or 

132 




In many places the. brnad, white road stretched 
away in front of us as straight as an arrow and 
as far as the eye could reach. 



^ometfjins about jFrencfi 3Roabs; 



some abrupt turn. There is no excuse, in view 
of the symbols and signboards, for any one 
motoring in France to find himself on the wrong 
road or to get into trouble unexpectedly. 

Every little way upon the chief highways of 
France, you pass the barracks of the gendarmerie^ 
a perfectly appointed 
rural police force. These 
men, while they are of 
the army, are never con- 
sidered in case of war. 
Napoleon wrote to Ber- 
thier in 1812: 

"Take not the police with 
you but conserve them for the 
watching of the country side. 
Two or three hundred soldiers 
are as nothing, but two or three 
hundred police will ensure the 
tranquility and good order of the 
people at large." 

France has to-day 
about twenty-five thousand men engaged in 
this service, and a company commanded by 
a major is allotted to each department. Their 
pay is less than sixty cents a day, but as they 
receive their lodgings in the barracks and 
their uniforms, and have practically nothing 

133 



H 


3 


Uv'l 

3 


4 


s 




6 


Q 

7 


8 


e 


s 


B 


12 


n 


□ m 


ExftmDles of French Guide Boards. 


. I. Turn left. 2. Turn right. 3. Grade «ross- 
ing. 4. Under a crossing. 5. Dangerous cross 
roads. 6. Raised rails. 7. Steep descent. 8, 
Steep ascent. 9. Winding descent with bad turn. 
10. Turn with descent. 11. Turn with •scent. 
12. Road depression. 13. "Thank-you-ma'am," 14. 
Village. IS. Bad pavement. 



ifWotaring ailiroati 



to pay for in a country where a little money buys 
a great deal, they evidently subsist pretty well. 
These gendarmes pay no attention to motorists 
so long as they observe the simple rules of the 
road and do not cause damage. There is some- 
where in the laws of France, so I have been told, 
a regulation limiting speed, but no one pays the 
least attention to it. In the country districts the 
speed limit is, by common consent, the limit of 
your car. In towns they are very much more 
particular but, as a matter of fact, there are few 
small foreign towns in which any one could run 
rapidly, as the streets are too narrow and too 
crowded. 

Motorists are stopped at the city gates in all 
the large places and are supposed to pay the 
octroi or city tax on the gasoline in the tank, 
but the only place we had to pay money was on 
entering Paris. At all other cities we offered 
to show how much we had in the tank and 
that was sufficient. 

While a great deal of stress is put upon the 
securing of a license and a "Certificat de capacite 
pour la conduite des automobiles a petrole,'' we 
were not asked once during our entire trip in 
France to show either of the licenses which we 
had, or questioned regarding them, our number, 

134 



^ometfting Sliout Jfrentfj ^Roabs; 

24 Y5, painted on our radiator being all-sufficient. 
Nor were we in any way interfered with by 
officers of the law. Yet there is no country in 
which the law is more carefully enforced, nor any 
in which there is a government more closely allied 
in its various dependencies. 

There is no difficulty in finding one's way 
about France, as the maps and the guideposts 
are perfect; for the purpose of direction it is not 
even necessary to speak the language. There 
is no necessity to buy any road maps of France 
but the Cartes Taride. You need not burden 
your head or luggage with any others. They 
can be purchased at any store in America deal- 
ing in foreign publications and in every city and 
town in France at one franc (twenty cents) for 
each section for the paper ones and fifty cents 
for those mounted on linen. They are issued 
in twenty-three sections and, being motor maps, 
students in slang can see where we get our 
expression ''23." You can buy either a set 
covering all of France or just those parts which 
you wish to visit. They show the different types 
of roads perfectly and are so plainly printed and 
on such generous scale as to be easily read. 
The main roads, or what are called the Routes 
Nationale, are in heavy red lines; the next in 

135 



iWatorins Sbroab 



lighter red lines; the third best in two parallel 
lines and the smaller roads in fine black lines. 
Every road is accurately shown and one can take 
a Carte Taride and, once out of the city, go 
straight to his destination without asking a single 
question. 

The Michelin Tire Company and also the 
Continental Company issue for free distribution 
large guidebooks giving a vast amount of valu- 
able information as to facilities and accommoda- 
tions in towns, locations of garages, repair shops, 
hotels, supply houses, etc. The guides may be 
procured free at all agencies of the companies. 



136 




OUR mVTE THROUGH ENGLAND. IRELAND. SCOTLAND A\'D WALES. 





1 




They swung our car on its platform high in the 
air and lowered it gently to the deck where it 
remained until we reached Folkestone. 




chapter tltoelbe 
Jf rom Jfolfeesftone to Xonbon 



chapter tKtoelbe 

arribal at Jfolfees^tone, Cnglanb, anb tlje 3Crip to 
Eonbon 

OUR trip across the Channel was quite the 
reverse from the often-described and 
always-expected passage. Instead of 
cutting up the various kind of nautical antics for 
which it is famous, the Channel was particularly 
calm and peaceful and there was practically no 
motion whatever on the swift-running boat. 

We watched with regret the shores of France 
sink out of sight. We had had a most delightful 
trip within her fair boundaries, and were carry- 
ing away with us memories which would never 
grow dim. After the last twinkling light of the 
shore had faded from sight we went to the dining 
saloon, and had hardly finished dinner when we 
approached the English coast. The first thing 
noticeable was the long line of brilliant electric 
lights studding the top of the cliffs, and marking 
the course of the beautiful promenade, or Front, 
as it is called, at Folkestone. The lights can be 

139 



JWotaring ^broab 



seen, like a string of pearls, from far out at sea. 
Later the lights of the lower town came into view, 
dimmed at regular intervals by the brilliant flash- 
ing of the Folkestone lighthouse at the entrance 
to the harbor. 

Almost as soon as the steamer had been made 
fast to the quay and we had gone ashore, the 
huge steam derrick was swung around and the 
chain dropped into the hold of the boat and our 
car was swung high in the air and lowered safely 
on the quay. Prior to leaving New York I had 
written to the Secretary of the Automobile Club 
of Great Britain and Ireland in London and he 
had procured my English licenses and number 
plates and sent them to me at Havre. We had 
therefore no formalities of this sort to attend to, 
and before we left the quay we had afiixed to 
our "Loco" the blue-enameled plates bearing our 
number, L. C. 7179 in white letters, and were 
fully-fledged English motorists. The agent of 
the company had a can of gasoline ready for us, 
and within fifteen minutes after the boat touched 
th^ quay, as there are no customs to be paid in 
England, we were in the car headed for Wam- 
pach's Hotel, situated in the most fashionable 
part of the cliffs. 

We were not entire strangers in Folkestone, 

140 



^tribal at JfolfeesJtone 



but as it is a place of considerable size and it was 
dark, we deemed it best to give a man on the 
dock a shilling to get into the car with us and 
direct us to the hotel. 

This was distinctly English in style and so 
different from the inns we had stopped at in 
France that the contrast was most noticeable. 
It was, however, a most comfortable place and 
admirably managed. 

As soon as our luggage had been brought to 
our rooms we started out for a stroll along the 
Front, which is one of the most beautiful prome- 
nades in Europe. The broad walk, brilliantly 
lighted, skirts the very edge of the cliffs for a long 
distance far above the sea. Between it and the 
houses facing the sea is the wide parkway, most 
attractive either by day or night. It was that 
evening really a scene of gayety, if one can say 
that anything is ever gay in England. Great 
throngs were promenading or forming part of 
the large crowd surrounding the bands. 

Thousands of people cross yearly to and from 
England and the Continent by the Folkestone- 
Boulogne route, transferring from the train to 
the boat on the quay, without getting a glimpse 
of the delightful features of either of these 
places. While each place is a seashore resort 

141 



ifHotoring Sbroab 



they are totally different; Boulogne having all 
of the characteristics of Dieppe and Trouville, 
and Folkestone all the formality and solidity of 
English resorts. 

The morning after our arrival we ran over to 
Dover and here we had the first real opportunity 
to test the hill-climbing abilities of our Loco- 
mobile. Any motor car which will go up Castle 
Hill at Dover without default will climb any hill 
up which a man has a right to drive a motor. It 
is not only precipitous, but is full of sharp turns 
where there is no opportunity to get a running 
start. This hill is on the road which takes one 
from the sea level, or the business section of 
Dover, up to the summit of the chalk cliffs which 
are one of the notable landmarks of the English 
Channel. It was a severe test, but our car 
was true to our ideals, and, although there w^ere 
six of us in the party it took us to the summit 
steadily and without missing an explosion. The 
hill is a dangerous one to climb without the 
stoutest kind of brakes. If a car should start 
to back there are places where it would be in 
danger of going over the precipitous cliffs, a 
performance which would upset all calculations 
as well as the car and its occupants, with prob- 
ably fatal results. It was really the first time 

142 



^tribal at Jfolliejstane 



that we had occasion to think of the extra heavy 
additional brakes which we had had put on the 
car before we left America. We found many 
places in Scotland later where the extra brakes 
were necessary, and it is a fixture which I would 
urge all persons who intend touring Great Britain 
to add to their car. 

We spent a day and two nights at Folkestone 
and then started for London by way of Sandwich 
and Canterbury; the route is rather roundabout 
and indirect, but it was our idea to revisit Sand- 
wich for another game of golf on its famous 
links on which many great matches have been 
decided. 

Our route took us again to Dover and thence 
by way of Deal to Sandwich. After the game 
and luncheon at Sandwich we went on to Canter- 
bury, a run of about an hour, where we had a 
passing glimpse of the beautiful Canterbury 
Cathedral which we had visited on a previous 
trip. 

From Canterbury we turned south into the 
charming Kent country and after a run of fifteen 
miles reached the great estate and home of Lord 
who had extended a most cordial invita- 
tion to us to spend a few days at his country- 
house. Those who have visited at one of these 

143 



iWotoring ^broab 



delightful country-houses, of which England has 
so many, need not be told of the pleasures of 
these three days. The English are masters in 
hospitality and the graciousness of the welcome 
with which we were received made us feel per- 
fectly at home even before the maids had un- 
packed and placed in the dressers all of the 
belongings of the ladies of our party, and the 
valet had emptied m^^ trunk, and my son's, and 
taken our clothes off to press them. Hot tea 
and crumpets were served to us as soon as we 
had reached our apartments and maids were 
assigned to each of our ladies and a valet to my 
son and myself. 

As we sat at the windows in the early evening 
and looked out over the vast lawns with their 
huge trees and the great estate lying beyond, we 
could not but feel that the English of all others 
have learned how best to enjoy the country and 
to beautify it by making the most of the natural 
surroundings, and not destroying them with too 
much artificiality. Each morning we breakfasted 
under the wide-spreading branches of an enor- 
mous beech, I commented one day on the 
velvety appearance of the lawn, which was the 
finest I had ever seen. " They should be fairly 
good," replied his lordship, "for they have been 

144 




We breakfasted informally on the lawn which 
was as smooth as velvet. 



arribal at Jfolfeesftone 



upkept as lawns for more than two hundred 
and fifty years by the different families living on 
this estate." 

Our time here was employed largely as we 
chose, for, according to the English custom, we 
did not see either our host or hostess until after 
luncheon. We spent the forenoons in wander- 
ing over the great estate, or in visiting nearby 
places of interest, for there were several motor 
cars in the garage and twice as many horses at 
the disposal of the guests. There was no for- 
mality until the dinner, which was an affair of 
considerable ceremony. 

The end of our visit came all too soon and as 
we left we were loaded down with flowers while 
the white-haired old gardener came to us bring- 
ing a good-sized basket filled with enormous 
hothouse grapes which "would be quite refresh- 
ing," as he put it, on our ride into London. 

In our trip to the city, we passed rapidly 
through Chatham and then crossed the bridge 
to Rochester, famous like Canterbury for its 
great cathedral, the original of which was con- 
secrated in 604. In the suburbs of Rochester 
we stopped for a few minutes at Gad's Hill Place, 
famed wherever literature is known as the home 
in which Charles Dickens spent the last years of 

145 



ifHototing aibroab 



his life. We were shown by the present occupant 
of the house, a genial Londoner, the library in 
which Dickens wrote. His old bookshelves are 
still there, filled with the books of his choice, 
and there are many little things, as well as the 
furniture of the house, which were there during 
the famous novelist's life. Across the road from 
the house is the grove of great trees called the 
*' Wilderness," where Dickens used to walk when 
seeking solitude and quiet. To permit him to 
go from his home to the woods without observa- 
tion a tunnel had been constructed under the 
road. 

The run from Rochester to Greenwich was 
short and here we reached the suburbs of Lon- 
don. The surroundings changed very rapidly 
and an hour before dark we found ourselves in 
the thickly settled section of the south side of the 
city. Here the vehicles, including a countless 
number of huge motor 'busses, were very numer- 
ous and we had to watch closely to avoid col- 
lisions because of our intuitive disposition to 
turn to the right instead of to the left in passing 
teams, although we were surprised to see how 
easily we had dropped into the English custom. 

We came into the city over the Old Kent Road, 
turning later into the New Kent Road and fol- 

146 



arribal at jFolfeesitone 



lowing that to the London Road which enters the 
famous Blackfriars Road at its '*top," as they 
say in London. Once on that road we had a 
straight stretch to the Blackfriars Bridge across 
the Thames. As soon as we had crossed it we 
recognized our surroundings and turned into the 
Victoria Embankment, following it down past 
the great clubs and public buildings to North- 
umberland Avenue, and the portal of the Metro- 
pole Hotel. 



147 




chapter aCftirteen 

Cngligj) iilotor Clubs; anb 
i^ab jUapsf 



Cfjapter Cfjitteen 
Cnglteft iWotor Club£{ anb a^oati iWajjJi 

THE two days we spent in London were 
most agreeable ones, but here as in Paris, 
because of the dense traffic on the streets, 
we preferred to use public conveyances about 
the city rather than our own car. 

I called upon Mr. J. W. Orde, Secretary of the 
Automobile Club of Great Britain, to express my 
thanks for the assistance he had rendered me 
and the courtesies he and the Club had extended. 

We also visited the Touring Department which 
the Club maintains at 16 Downs Street for the 
benefit of visiting motorists and members of the 
Club. We found there several courteous and 
painstaking officials who gave us all the time 
necessary to discuss our proposed trip in Eng- 
land, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. They also 
gave us a vast amount of information and valu- 
able suggestions. They supplied us with all of 
the maps needed and apparently took a keen, 
personal interest in our trip. For all their 

151 



iWotoring ^broab 



services there was no charge whatever, except 
the cost of maps. This department, which is 
maintained at the expense of the Automobile 
Club of Great Britain, has done much to popu- 
larize touring and make it easy, especially for 
strangers. Any motorist, whether a member of 
the Club or not, may procure here all information 
desired, even as to where police traps are placed, 
and where it is well to be cautious. The laws 
regulating speed are very much more sharply 
enforced in England than in any other foreign 
country. Twenty miles an hour is the maximum 
speed allowed anywhere, although in most places 
in the open country one may, with safety, ex- 
ceed it. This department keeps fully in touch 
with the road conditions and so perfect is its 
knowledge of the entire subject that the clerk 
marked for me one bit of road covering about 
ten miles on our proposed route in Scotland, 
which was under repair at that time, and told me 
just how to avoid it and just which alternate 
road to take, marking it out very carefully on 
my route map. 

A word about road-maps for use in Great 
Britain and Ireland. The ones most universally 
used are Bartholomews'. These are published 
in sections mounted on either cloth or paper and 

152 




These, beautiful towns in rural England are 
generally attractive to the eye both in themselves 
and in their surroundings. 



Cnglis;!) iMotor Clubs anb 3Roati jWapji 

sold at two shillings and one shilling respectively 
per section. They may be had on a scale of two 
miles or one mile to the inch. The former are 
much preferable as they are more easily read. 
There are thirty-seven sections for England and 
Wales; twenty-eight for Scotland and seven for 
Ireland. It is, of course, only necessary to pur- 
chase the sections covering the territory to be 
visited, but it is advisable to procure the maps 
direct of the publishers, John Bartholomew & 
Co., or from some leading bookseller in New 
York or London, in order to be certain of having 
the latest editions. Bartholomews' Map of Lon- 
don is indispensable and can be bought mounted 
on cloth for two shillings. 

The maps published by Perrier, the Natural 
Sparkling Water Company, are most excellent 
and we used them almost exclusively. They 
are splendidly printed, mounted on linen and 
very clear and more easily read in a motor than 
any other. They can be secured of George 
Phillips, 32 Fleet Street, London, or Brentano, 
New York, and cost ten shillings for England 
and the same for Scotland. 

In addition to these maps there are what are 
called strip maps of many of the chief roads in 
Great Britain, published by Gall & Inglis, 25 

153 



iHotorins Sftroab 



Paternoster Row, London, which are more con- 
venient than the larger maps where they can be 
used. They are about five and one-half inches 
wide and a yard long and embrace a section of 
country only a few miles on each side of the 
road. They are so folded that the pages may 
be turned like a book and the map read right 
along from start to finish in either direction. 
The distances are shown on the scale of one-half 
inch to the mile and on the margin there is a 
contour line showing all the grades and eleva- 
tions. These maps may be used to advantage 
on trips between chief cities such as London 
and Edinburgh, and can be purchased at any 
well-known bookstore in Great Britain at one 
shilling each. 

Two very comprehensive books can be used 
in conjunction with any of the foregoing maps. 
One is the "Car Road Book" which gives a 
large amount of valuable data regarding towns, 
distances, etc. This book is published annually 
by '*The Car Illustrated," London, and costs 
twelve shillings, sixpence. The other and more 
important book is called "The Contour Book." 
It is published in three volumes covering differ- 
ent sections, at two shillings each, or all in one 
volume at five shillings. It contains 1,100 routes 

154 



Cngligf) JMotor Clubs; anb Eoab JHapg 

and 1,500 maps and plans and is indispensable. 
These books give the grades, elevations, etc., on 
all the chief roads of Great Britain. They can 
be procured through any leading bookseller in 
the United States. 

All motorists going to England should join the 
Motor Union. Membership in this Society may 
be secured in advance of arrival by addressing 
the Secretary at 1 Albemarle Street, Piccadilly, 
London, W. The annual subscription is but one 
guinea ($5.25). The Union's Touring Depart- 
ment and the facilities membership affords in 
securing rebates from the hotels recommended 
will return the money invested many times over. 
The officials are very courteous and seem to take 
pleasure in doing everything possible to add to 
the comfort of visiting motorists. 



155 




chapter Jfourteen 

jf rom Honbon to ^cotlanb h^ 
tfje (§reat i^ortfj l^oab 



Cfjapter Jfourteen 

jFrom lonbon to ^cotlanb ©tier tfte #reat 
jgortft 3Raab 

WE left the Metropole in London bright 
and early on one of those beautiful 
mornings so frequently enjoyed in 
England during the summer season. We crossed 
Trafalgar Square and turning into the Hay^ 
market, passed through Piccadilly Circus and 
thence into Regent Street, turning to the left 
into Oxford Street, thence into Orchard Street, 
which we followed until we reached Baker Street, 
turning into it on the right and continuing to 
Park Road which encircles Regents Park. When 
we reached the fork of Park Road and Welling- 
ton Street we took the latter and followed it until 
it becomes Finchley Road at the Marlboro Road 
station. We were then on the straight road 
toward Edinburgh. I have given these direc- 
tions rather minutely because London is a great 
city with an almost incomprehensible maze of 
streets, and we had considerable trouble getting 

159 



iHotoring ^ftroab 



a definite route out of it. This reminds me of 
some directions we received from one of the 
always poUte "bobbies." We had asked him 
for information and he replied "Bend with the 
road and only turn over when you are ten or 
a dozen doors down" — all of which meant, we 
discovered, that we would come to a turn in the 
road and after we had passed a dozen houses we 
should cross over from our side — the Londoners 
are great sticklers for keeping on the proper side 
— and take the road leading off from the opposite 
side. 

The Great North Road, over which we were to 
motor all the way to Edinburgh, took us through 
Finchley about seven miles from the center of 
London ; and then through Chipping and Barnet 
to Hatfield, which is twenty miles out. Hatfield 
House, situated here, is the seat of the Marquis 
of Salisbury. The original house, which was 
built between 1100 and 1200, is associated closely 
with the history of the early reigns of England. 
As far as Hatfield the road is compactly built up 
on either side; the houses being very attractive, 
although not pretentious. It is very diflPerent 
from the suburbs through which we had passed 
in approaching London. There are relatively 
few manufacturing establishments to the north, 

160 




As we stopped at Buckden for luncheon at 
noon hour the school children took great interest 
in our car. 



JProm lonbon to ^cotlanb 



and altogether a better class of suburban homes. 
Before we reached Hatfield we had already 
been impressed with the magnificence of this 
Great North Road, which is said to have been 
built upon the order of a Mr. Caesar whose 
headquarters were in Rome at that time. It is 
the direct route from London to Edinburgh and 
has been traveled for so many centuries that the 
earliest histories of England contain accounts of 
the movement of troops upon it. It is a great 
thoroughfare for vehicles of all sorts, motorists 
and cyclists, and there are well-worn footpaths 
along either side for pedestrians, for much of its 
length. We passed scores of motors of all sorts 
and sizes and previous conditions of service, and 
I was creditably informed that the popularity of 
motoring had noticeably diminished the number 
of first-class travelers by rail. We found the 
road throughout its entire four hundred miles in 
perfect condition and in many portions the mac- 
adam is said to be nine feet thick. Long sections 
are oiled and on no part of it was there any ap- 
preciable amount of dust. There are few sharp 
curves and the grades are so slight that it has 
become a great thoroughfare for speeders, with 
the result that there are many police traps for 
which one has to keep a sharp lookout. We 

161 



iWotoring abroatr 



found that we could stop in almost any little 
village and get information as to just where these 
traps were located; as, for instance, they told us 
at Biggleswade — a better looking place than its 
name implies — to look out for traps just the 
other side of Buckden and again in approaching 
Weston. 

The country through which we were traveling 
was one of the greatest attraction, for no region 
is more beautiful than rural England. The 
moist climate and frequent rains keep the grass, 
trees and hedges at the freshest shade of green. 
They have learned in England to get the best 
out of the general landscape, and the result is a 
more restful and pleasing ensemble than we are 
apt to see in America. This is perhaps largely 
due to the fact that many of the great estates 
have been kept in the same families for genera- 
tions and the work of development and improve- 
ment has followed the same vein of taste, and 
each new owner has not torn the place to pieces 
with a view of gratifying his own individual 
whims as to landscape gardening and architec- 
ture. The lawns, the farms, the houses and the 
people all look well-kept and prosperous and 
many of the estates betokened generations of 
wealth and refinement. 

162 



jfram lonbon to ^cotlantr 



The inns which we passed and even the wine 
shops, gloried in pretentious names which 
were generally displayed in illustrated signs 
hanging on brackets. We had great fun in 
watching for these odd signs and writing down 
some of the most unusual. We passed "The 
Red Bull," and in neighborly proximity "The 
Red Cow" and "The Dun Cow." "Sir John 
Barleycorn" was near enough to hear "The Five 
Bells," and just beyond this, as if not to be out- 
done in the bell line, the proprietor of one inn 
had called his place "The Ring o' Bells." Later 
we passed "The Easy Chair" and "Wait for the 
Wagon," "The Nag's Head," "The Spread 
Eagle," and down near the end of the list we 
recorded "The Black Boy" and "The Head, 
Hand and Stomach." 

Luncheon time found us at the quaint little 
town of Buckden, sixty-two miles from London. 
We drew up in front of the Lion Inn, which 
looked particularly inviting with its windows 
filled with bright flowers, and the young wife of 
the proprietor cooked for us a delicious luncheon, 
preparing it after we arrived. It was so enjoy- 
able and everything was so particularly good 
that after the bill had been paid I slipped back 
to find the cook, and to compliment her on the 

163 



iWotorins atiroalr 



luncheon. Handing her a two-shilling piece I 
remarked that she had given us the most delicious 
luncheon we had had in England. With a smile 
which illuminated her rosy face she looked up 
at me and said: "Well, if the Gov'ner weren't 
about I'd kiss ye for that." I simply mention 
this incident to show that little acts of kindness 
and little deeds well done often produce aston- 
ishing results. 

The proprietor of the Lion Inn told us that he 
had served his time in the Royal Navy and had 
now retired to the country to spend his days in 
peace. I presume that he has a very good busi- 
ness in furnishing meals to motorists. Certainly 
the excellence of his unpretentious house war- 
rants it. He was particularly anxious that none 
of the constables should catch us speeding and 
cautioned us particularly about a trap just be- 
yond Buckden. He told us that if we would 
look into the bushes on the left at a particular 
spot we should see the constables, and sure 
enough we discovered them crouching partly 
hidden behind the foliage, first one and about 
three hundred yards beyond another, with a 
third even farther up the road ready to step out 
and stop us in case he had been signaled to do 
so by the other two. A word to the wise, how- 

164 




5 '^ 






■g, 



5^ S 



jFrom lonbon to ^totlanb 



ever, had been sufficient and we passed the trap 
at such a snail's pace that even the constables 
themselves were forced to return our sarcastic 
smiles. 

When we had gone a few miles farther, a good 
Samaritan, whom we passed on the road, told us 
to be very careful not only in approaching Stilton 
but in passing through the town itself and not to 
undertake to make any speed whatever until we 
had passed the Norman Cross Inn about two 
miles north of Stilton. Stilton has for many 
years been famous for its cheeses, and has now 
in these later days become famous for the enter- 
prise of its constables in holding up motorists. 

The run from Buckden to Retford, a hundred 
and forty-seven miles from London, gave us a 
continuous succession of delightful panoramic 
views. We were in the heart of old England 
where apparently every one was thrifty and pros- 
perous, and we frequently commented on the 
great number of bicyclists we passed. Bicycling 
is not only still a fad but the bicycle is used 
over all of Great Britain as a mode of convey- 
ance for people in moderate circumstances. I 
doubt if there was a day during our return trip 
in Great Britain that we did not pass on the road 
a hundred well-dressed ladies and gentlemen on 

165 



iWatorins gltiroatJ 



wheels, usually in groups or couples; it seemed 
to be one of the most popular methods of spend- 
ing a vacation outing. 

About a mile beyond Retford we passed "Ye 
Olde Bell," a hotel which had all the outward 
signs of being a delightful place. We intended 
to reach Doncaster or Durham for the night, but 
after we had passed this house about a quarter 
of a mile we saw a constable patrolling the road 
and drawing up alongside of him I asked if it 
would be a nice place to stop all night. ''Huh!" 
he replied, with apparent disgust at our igno- 
rance, "hit's one of the finest 'ouses in hall Hing- 
land. Sir." This was enough for us; we turned 
around and returned to the inn. 

The constable's estimate was entirely correct. 
It is certainly one of the finest inns in all Eng- 
land and it is well worth a long detour on a 
motoring trip to spend a night at this fascinating 
house. We learned the history of the place 
while we were sitting on the lawn of the beautiful, 
wall-enclosed gardens back of the house in the 
long evening twilight after dinner. It is owned 
by the Road Club, an organization of which Lord 
Montague is the head. This club, since the 
beginning of motoring, has purchased or leased 
a number of old houses which were famous 

166 



jFrom lonbon to ^cotlanb 



during coaching days, and has refitted and fur- 
nished them throughout with beautiful antique 
furniture, and plate and china to match. They 
have been made to duplicate as nearly as possi- 
ble, the old-style houses in the great days when 
lords and ladies used to coach through the 
country. The service, the bedrooms and every- 
thing about Ye Olde Bell was ideal, and to add 
to the enjoyment there was the large, purely 
English enclosed garden where one could wander 
amid flowers and under the shade of great trees 
and enjoy to the fullest degree the privacy of 
English garden life. The illustrated, painted 
oak sign of this house, which had hung for many 
years in front of the inn, was found after the 
place had been renovated, in a neighboring 
house where it was doing service as a table top 
with the painted side down. It was rescued 
from its commonplace use, the painting touched 
up and it is again, after a lapse of forty years, 
doing business at the old stand. 

It was with genuine regret that we left this 
fascinating place the next forenoon. The man- 
ager was most gracious in his attentions and gave 
us letters of introduction to other houses of the 
Road Club farther north. While all of these 
houses are open to motorists not members of the 

167 



iHotoring Sbroab 



Club, the members have then' own particular 
rooms from which the general public is courte- 
ously excluded. 

The Road Club is a most successful institution 
and should be duplicated in this country. I am 
sure it w^ould appeal particularly to motorists in 
the United States if an organization could be 
formed to take over some of the famous old 
houses in the East and operate them under the 
management of an organization of similar scope 
and plan. 

We learned at Ye Olde Bell that there was a 
long police trap just beyond Bawdry and this 
advance information probably saved us trouble 
as the road was so perfect and so straight that 
the temptation to let our "Loco" out was almost 
irresistible. We held it down, however, to about 
fifteen miles an hour until we were safely beyond 
the trouble; from there into Doncaster, a dis- 
tance of about twenty miles, we made good time 
as there were no steep hills and no traps. 

As we passed through Doncaster, we had an 
opportunity of seeing the celebrated race course, 
in the center of a great park, where the famous 
St. Leger was to be run about two weeks later. 
This race was established in 1778 and has been 
run annually since. Many of the finest horses 

168 



jfrom Honbon to ^totlanb 



in England were in training there and scores of 
them were out on the track for a practice gallop 
when we passed. While we did not know any 
of the names of the sleek-limbed beauties we had 
the satisfaction of feeling that we had seen the 
best horses in England, even if we were not able 
to identify them. 



169 




chapter jFifteen 

Crosfsiing tfje JHortrer Hint 
into ^cotlanb 



K^tL. ji_»tfc J^^H| ^^ 


Jm 




^ry^^^ff^ 


Is 





It was a glorious morning when we left Aln- 
wick and crossed the bridge in full view of the 
Duke of Northumberland's castle. 



Cfjapter jFifteen 

Crogs^ing tje JBorber line of Cnglanb anb 
^cotlanb 

AT Doncaster the Great North Road divides 
/-% into two roads running almost parallel 
and only a few miles apart; the eastern 
road leading through Selby direct to York and 
the western one running through Wetherby and 
Boroughbridge to the west of the city. These 
roads meet again at North AUerton, and the only 
choice between them is that one takes the mo- 
torist into the city of York and the other takes 
him around it. If one is in a hurry the latter 
is preferable, but York is one of the most interest- 
ing cities of England. 

Its history runs back to the second century 
when it was for a period the residence of em- 
perors long forgotten. Constantine the Great was 
proclaimed here in 306 a.d. amid high doings. 
William the Conqueror, whom we couldn't lose 
in France, built two castles here, and the Romans 

173 



iWotoring Sljraab 



had previously built a great wall around the 
town, two and three-quarter miles in length, to 
keep out the heathen warriors. Parts of the old 
walls are still standing. The popular promenade 
is around the top of the new wall, so called, 
although it was built before Columbus dis- 
covered America and before our own New York 
was thought of. 

The York Minster, or Cathedral, is one of the 
finest and most famous of all those of which 
England is justly proud. As an architectural 
creation it is an ideal which modern designers 
have not equaled. In process of building for 
over three hundred years, it was consecrated in 
1472. As we stood before its wonderful altar, 
in the subdued light of early evening, we could 
not help thinking of the countless throngs who 
had knelt here in the past centuries and who had 
passed out even of remembrance. A vesper 
song service was being held while we were there, 
and the mellow tones of the great organ and the 
chanting of the choir were wafted in sweet har- 
mony through the transepts and nave to the 
farthest corners of the great interior, there to be 
lost in faint echoes. 

It is but a short run from York to Scarborough 
and Bridlington, popular seashore resorts largely 

174 



Cros^sfing tfje JSorber line 



patronized, but as Scotland was beckoning us 
we decided to omit the side-trip and to push on 
north. 

We stopped at North iVllerton for luncheon, 
and reached the picturesque town of Durham 
about four o'clock in the afternoon, crossing 
the river Weir near the great cathedral, whose 
classic lines and exquisite surroundings are 
familiar wherever architecture is known. An 
hour later we passed through Newcastle and 
crossed the Tyne by the wonderful "high- 
level" bridge designed by Robert Stephenson. 
This is 112 feet above the water; the railroad 
crosses on the upper part and vehicles upon 
the lower roadway, which is suspended from 
the upper platform. As we had brought no 
coals to Newcastle, and as it is a most unin- 
teresting town, being the great coal center of 
England, we pushed on over the splendid road 
through Morpeth, passing through the old Ro- 
man archway over the main street at the 
entrance to Alnwick just as twilight had begun 
to merge into night. 

This town is the seat of the Duke of North- 
umberland whose castle is one of the finest feudal 
piles in England. It is one of the favorite visit- 
ing places of King Edward and the town is often 

175 



iWotoring ^broab 



en fete because of the presence of the King and 
royalty. The castle, which has been thoroughly 
restored, is said to contain a most-interesting 
collection of antiquities and many rare paintings. 
The Norman gateway of the castle, built in the 
twelfth century, is one of the most noted single 
architectural features of England. We had 
hoped to enter it, but evidently we were not 
expected, so the best that we could do was to 
take a photograph of ourselves in the car directly 
in front of it. We felt that this would, at least, 
show our intentions if not our accomplishments. 
We spent the night at Alnwick at the White 
Swan. We would like to forget the hotel, but 
we will never forget the obsequious waiter who, 
no matter what we asked him, bowed gravely 
and answered: "Yes, sur'um." For the sake of 
making conversation and being agreeable, I 
incidentally remarked that the boiled potatoes 
w^ere very good. "Yes, sur'um," he replied, and 
immediately put two more on my plate. To keep 
the joke going, different members of the party 
united in complimenting the potatoes and the 
result was that our plates were all loaded, and 
in the morning at breakfast we found little else 
on the table but potatoes. He was evidently a 
susceptible old waiter and is doubtless talking 

176 




We stopped in front of the feudal entrance 
to the Duke of Northumberland's Castle, but 
no one invited us to enter. 



Crosifiiins tfje Porber Hint 



to this day about the party of voracious potato- 
eating Americans which visited his house. 

From Alnwick north through Belford to Ber- 
wick-on-Tweed was a run of about thirty miles, 
quickly made, and just beyond the city we 
crossed the river which marks the dividing line 
between England and Scotland. The road here 
bends nearer the coast and for the next ten miles 
we were within sight of the North Sea. We 
passed through Berwick and pushed on through 
Cockburnspath where we again picked up the 
view of the sea, which we had continuously from 
there on to Dunbar. 

At Dunbar we stopped for luncheon at the 
Bellevue, another of the houses of the Road Club. 
The hotel is ideally located on a high cliff over- 
looking the ocean, less than a stone's throw away. 
It is an exceedingly sightly place for a public 
house, as the curve of the shore line makes the 
coast visible for miles in either direction and 
affords a view which is surprisingly beautiful. 

Dunbar is a popular resort largely frequented 
in summer. It has an excellent golf course, 
besides the ruins of an old castle, both of which 
practically every town in Scotland of any age 
must have to maintain its standing and dignity. 

We had from Dunbar our first view of the 

177 



Jlotaring ^braab 



great Bass Rock which rises abruptly out of the 
sea about a mile off shore near North Berwick, 
and also of the "Law," which is the name given 
to a high and symmetrical mountain back of the 
town. Seeing these two familiar landmarks 
brought back a flood of pleasant memories of 
the fortnight which we had spent so delightfully 
at North Berwick two years previously, and 
made us eager to push on. If we had not known 
the charms of North Berwick we could have 
remained very contentedly at Dunbar. But w^e 
knew North Berwick to be one of the most 
charming seashore places in Scotland, and its 
hotel, the Marine, to be an ideal home. So, 
early in the afternoon, we swung around on the 
shore road, passed Tantallon Castle, a grim old 
ruin standing out boldly on the cliffs above the 
sea, and soon were welcomed at the Marine 
Hotel by our friends who had been our hosts 
on our previous visit. 

We had covered the distance of four hundred 
miles from London over the Great North Road 
in three days. This had enabled us to make the 
trip leisurely and to enjoy not only the charming 
scenery through which we were continually 
passing, but to stop in any little town which 
met our fancy and visit the places of interest, 

178 



Cros;s;ing tfje JSorber Hint 



The run is usually made by motorists in two 
days, but any one who makes it in this short 
time loses much of the charm of the trip. The 
Marine Hotel is a great rendezvous of golfers 
from over all the world who come to North Ber- 
wick to play on its links which, counted among 
the finest in the world, are among the oldest in 
Scotland. Golf is so much of a feature here that 
the old town reservoir, now abandoned, has been 
filled and leveled off and turned into a perfectly 
kept grass putting green. 

The Golf Clubhouse and links are built on the 
commons between the town and the sea. The 
links are free and from morning until night there 
is a steady stream of players leaving the first tee. 
In summer time the twilight is so long that 
golf is played there, as in all other places in 
Scotland, up to half-past nine and sometimes 
a quarter to ten o'clock. 

North Berwick is one of the places which one 
may visit and revisit and never tire of. Ameri- 
cans have dubbed it "The Newport of Scotland." 
It is only nineteen miles from Edinburgh and 
many of the richest families have erected beau- 
tiful homes there. It might well be taken for 
the original of "Spotless Town," because its 
streets and dooryards are kept so scrupulously 

179 



jUlotoring ^broab 



clean. Its extensive lawns and flower gardens are 
a delight to the eye. The profuse cultivation of 
flowers everywhere was, in fact, one of the most 
frequently commented features of our entire 
trip. In rural England and Scotland particularly 
we were seldom out of sight of them, and it 
mattered not whether it was the estate of wealth 
or the thatched-roof home of poverty there was 
certain to be a profusion of bright-hued flowers 
and attractively arranged shrubbery. 

We spent several days at North Berwick, 
dividing our time between golf and side trips to 
interesting points. One of the features of great- 
est interest near North Berwick is Bass Rock, 
already referred to. It is reached by a steam 
ferry of such diminutive size that only those who 
have no fear of seasickness dare make the trip, 
which is generally a rough one. This enormous 
rock which rises abruptly from the sea to a 
height of 350 feet, is the haunt of myriads of 
solan geese and sea birds. These are so numer- 
ous that their white plumage gives the entire 
south side of the rock, from a distance, the ap- 
pearance of having been whitewashed. Those 
who visit the rock, if they are adepts at moun- 
tain scaling, may climb in among the birds, who 
pay little attention to human visitors. 

180 




The English cattle, like the American, show 
an utter indifference to the rules of the road. 



CrofiJfldng tfje JBorber line 



The run from North Berwick into Edinburgh 
is uninteresting, especially the latter portion as 
we approached the suburbs, through Mussel- 
burgh and Portobella. As we had previously 
visited Edinburgh with its Holyrood castle and 
many other places of historic interest, we did 
not remain there all night, but only long enough 
to dine at the Caledonian Hotel and permit the 
ladies of the party to visit some of the shops on 
Princes Street, often referred to as the hand- 
somest street in the world. 



181 




Cfjapter Sixteen 
of ^ccitlanb 




The glorious views as we went over the heather- 
covered moors and through the Highlands of 
Scotland will always be remembered. 



chapter Sixteen 

tlfje i^un acrosJflJ tlje JWoorsJ of ^cotlanb 

AS we were bound for the north of Scotland, 
/-\ and no vehicles can go over the great 
bridge across the Firth of Forth, we took 
the ferry from Granton, almost within the city 
limits of Edinburgh, across the Firth to Burntis- 
land, a distance of five miles. We had consider- 
able fun over the pronunciation of this name, for 
we pronounced it as it is spelled, Burntis-land. 
No one understood what we meant until we dis- 
covered that the natives pronounced it as two 
words — Burnt island. We had no difficulty in 
running our motor on the ferryboat at Granton 
and the charge for taking it across was insignif- 
icant, as it went as cargo along with cow^s and 
horses and vehicles of various sorts. 

On a pleasant day this ferry trip gives one a 
fine view of the great Firth of Forth bridge, the 
most remarkable and stupendous structure of 
its kind in the world. But the day we crossed 
there was a Scotch mist, and when a full-fledged 

185 



iWotoring ^broab 



Scotch mist settles down to business there is no 
use in talking about views; so we saw nothing 
whatever of the bridge, much to our regret. Our 
friend, Mr. Edward Murray, whom we had met 
at North Berwick, and who added much to the 
pleasure of our short stay there and at Edin- 
burgh, accompanied us across the ferry and 
started us on the right road to Perth. 

There is little of interest along the way be- 
tween Burntisland (Burnt island, please, not 
Burntis-land) and Perth. The "Scotch mist" 
was coming down in torrents and about the only 
incident of the trip was our picking up, about 
fourteen miles from Perth, a water-soaked and 
almost water-logged man walking toward the 
city through the drenching rain. He could not 
possibly have been wetter than he was and a 
more forlorn object we had seldom seen. We 
stopped and asked him if he was going far and 
as he said he was going to Perth, we told him 
we could give him a ride if he would sit on the 
floor of the car between the dash and the front 
seat with his feet on the running board. We 
found him a well-educated, intelligent man who 
had just come out of a hospital, and, penniless 
and without having had anything to eat that 
day, was trudging it to Perth to see if he could 

186 



aCfje JWoorsi of ^cotlanb 



get work at his trade, which was that of a 
journeyman tailor. Fortunately we had a good 
lunch with us which he accepted with many 
thanks and hastily devoured. We also provided 
him with means to get a good night's lodging 
and take care of himself a few days until he could 
get work. 

We left Perth the morning after our arrival 
and almost immediately turned into the high- 
lands of the mountain section of Scotland. From 
here to Inverness the entire trip is one of the 
rarest beauty. The scenery is wild and attractive 
every mile of the way, and we began to realize 
the oft-told beauties of the Scottish moors. The 
road, which was excellent, was of the roller- 
coaster style, but the grades were severe in many 
places. We were taking the only route that a 
motor can follow in going to Inverness from 
Perth without making the wide detour around 
by Aberdeen, and this is by way of the Pass of 
Killiecrankie. The motor road follows the line 
of the railroad for the entire distance and the two 
are within sight of each most of the way. At the 
time we made the trip both the purple and the 
white heather were in full bloom and we had 
stretched out before us on either side a color 
scheme of Nature which could be likened best 

187 



JfWotoring ^broab 



to a great Persian carpet, vivid in coloring and 
majestic in proportions. There is practically no 
timber but there are solid banks of rhododen- 
drons on the banks of the streams. The hills 
and mountains would be bare and forlorn except 
for these and the heather. The exquisite little 
"Bluebells of Scotland" peeped up everywhere 
through the heather as the brilliant red poppies 
did in the waving grainfields of France. Every 
little while we passed shooting-lodges, and we 
saw several parties beating the moors for pheas- 
ants with their dogs and drivers, as the season 
had opened just prior to our visit. Some of the 
hunting lodges were magnificent affairs, and they 
were generally erected on a hillside overlooking 
the beautiful valley which we were following. I 
was told that the prices charged for the leases 
of these shooting preserves had reached absurd 
and fabulous figures on account of the demand 
for them by millionaire Americans. The Pass of 
Killiecrankie through which we passed is where 
the Duke, whom John Drew made famous in 
America through one of his plays, is supposed 
to have lived. It is a gem of nature, resembling 
some of the well-known notches in the White 
Mountains. 

At noon we reached Pitlochry, a favorite sum- 

188 



Wi)t ittoors; oi ^cotlantii 



mer resort where there are a large number of 
sanitariums, and stopped at Fisher's Hotel for 
luncheon. We had intended to spend the after- 
noon there visiting the near-by places of interest, 
but it was raining so hard that we concluded 
there was little to do in the way of sightseeing 
with comfort, and that we might as well push 
on to Inverness. 

We met at Pitlochry Major Walter Fry, a 
retired English army officer who was spending 
the summer there in photographing, between 
spells of Scotch mist, the beautiful scenery in 
the neighborhood and in fishing in the near-by 
salmon streams. He gave me many valuable 
suggestions as to what to see farther north in 
Scotland and since our return has sent me 
several photographs of this region, a few of 
which are reproduced in this volume. 

We stopped an hour at PuUar's Hotel, Kin- 
gussie, about thirty miles north of Pitlochry, 
for tea, and then pushed on forty-six miles 
further to Inverness, arriving at the Alexandra 
Hotel, to which we had telegraphed ahead for 
rooms, just about dark. 

The run from Perth, a distance of one hun- 
dred and eighteen miles, which we made easily 
in one day, is one of the most beautiful motor 

189 



iWotoring Sbroab 



trips that any one can imagine. There are few 
towns, but the scenery is wild and unique. In 
all Europe or America there is no trip just like 
it, and when one has been over it it is easy to 
understand the fascination always attached to 
the moors of Scotland. August is, however, a 
bad time to make the trip because of the 
frequent rains. The knowing ones told us 
that June and July were always better for 
motoring, and after the experience we had on 
this trip we should, if we make the trip again, 
tour Great Britain in July and France in August. 



190 




chapter feebenteen 
^long tfje Caledonian Canal 




In going toward Edinburgh, we passed many 
rows of typical Scotch cottages, but outside the 
cities there was little sign of abject poverty. 



Cfiapter ^ebenteen 
^long tfie Calebonmn Canal en route to d^ban 

INVERNESS, often referred to as the "Capi- 
tal of the Highlands," is the great center of 
all tourist travel in the north of Scotland. 
It is pleasantly situated at a point where the 
Ness River enters the Beauly Firth. This river, 
which has a tremendous tidal current, flows 
directly through the town and is almost at the 
front door of the Alexandra Hotel, where we were 
pleasantly housed during our stay. We were 
told that within a few miles of the town the 
salmon fishing in the river was excellent. Speak- 
ing of salmon suggests at least one item which we 
had on every bill of fare in Scotland and which 
was a feature of every table d'hote, Salmon, 
especially when it is fresh, is a delicious fish, 
but salmon even under the best of conditions 
and served in a variety of ways becomes unin- 
viting as a steady diet about the end of the 
third week. 

Of course Inverness, like all other Scotch 

193 



ifHotoring Sbroab 



towns, has its castle with a history running back 
for centuries. We found the shops, however, 
rather more interesting. They were particularly 
well-stocked with the goods characteristic of 
Scotland, including Scotch tartans of every clan 
and quantities of jewelry and knickknacks in 
which the cairngorm, a yellowish stone found 
in many parts of Scotland, played a prominent 
part. There must be an immense amount of 
money left in Inverness and the other Scotch 
towns, by tourists through the purchase of these 
novelties, which are made up into most inviting 
and unique shapes and forms, from hat and 
scarf pins and shoe buckles to diadems and 
sabre handles. 

We remained two days at the Alexandra Hotel 
and on one of these days made the run to Nairn, 
about twenty miles from Inverness along the 
north coast. This town is one of the cleanest 
and neatest in Scotland, and reminds the visitor 
of North Berwick. It is built directly on an 
elevation upon the seashore and is a popular 
resort for the summer season. Its beautiful golf 
course, laid out along the grass-covered sand 
dunes of the coast, brings many people there for 
the summer. The links are among the best and 
most interesting in Scotland and so popular is 

194 



ailong tlje Calebonian Canal 



the course that there are two clubhouses, one 
for the exclusive use of ladies and the other for 
gentlemen. 

There is little about Inverness that would 
commend it for a sojourn of any length. One 
of the things that we remember in connection 
with it is the great number of drunken men we 
saw on the streets, but then this is unfortun- 
ately true about every large town in Scotland, 
where intemperance seems to be a curse in the 
lower walks of life. We found the Alexandra 
Hotel, however, a most agreeable place and it is 
recommended as being the best in Inverness. 

The magnificent home of Mr. Andrew Car- 
negie, Skibo Castle, is but a few hours' run 
by motor north of Inverness in the very heart 
of the most rugged section of the Scottish high- 
lands. During the summer season, while Mr. 
and Mrs. Carnegie are there, there are usually 
twenty to thirty guests. We chanced to meet at 
Inverness a gentleman who had been a guest for 
a week and he gave us a most interesting account 
of the daily life at Skibo. 

At exactly 7:45 each morning a lusty bag- 
piper marches around the castle and plays inspir- 
ing Scotch melodies under all the windows. 
This is continued for half an hour, the piper 

195 



iWotoring ^tjroab 



being very punctilious in starting exactly on the 
moment. 

Before breakfast the men adjourn to the huge 
swimming tank which is erected near the castle. 
It is one hundred and fifty feet long by fifty feet 
wide and from three to eight feet deep and is 
covered with a roof which, in pleasant weather, 
folds down on either side by simply pressing a 
button, making it an open-air bath. The salt 
water with which it is filled is pumped from the 
near-by sea. 

From 8:15 until 8:45 the great pipe organ in 
the castle, presided over by a cultured musician, 
peals forth a selection of splendid old hymns, 
always including '*Eine Feste Burg," a favorite 
of Mr. Carnegie. Shortly after this, breakfast is 
had in the large breakfast room. But no servants 
are present. Each guest helps himself or herself 
from the sideboard as is the custom everywhere 
in England and Scotland, and takes a seat at the 
table next to whoever was last seated. 

The morning hours are passed in the various 
pleasures of the region; tramping, shooting in 
season, golf on the private links of the castle, 
and riding and driving. Luncheon is always an 
informal affair, but dinner in the evening at eight 
o'clock is the social function of the day. The 

196 







e G 



O (3 



s^ 






^lons tlje Calebonian Canal 



piper who played around the castle walls in the 
morning comes into the reception room and 
precedes all the guests, marching around the 
great dining-room twice and then passing out of 
the same door by which he entered. The guests 
follow and take unassigned seats, although the 
host and hostess generally suggest to certain 
guests that they will find such or such a person 
an agreeable dinner companion. 

On Sunday no sports are ever indulged in, 
and every one at the castle is expected to attend 
service at the kirk, five miles away. In the 
afternoon the guests all join in a w^alk with Mr. 
Carnegie over the estate, visiting all the stables, 
barns, sheepfolds, chicken houses and other in- 
teresting points. When he starts out for this 
walk, Mr. Carnegie fills his pockets with old- 
fashioned peppermints and the little children of 
the place, in whom he takes the greatest interest 
and most of whom he knows by name, gather 
about him and help themselves to the pepper- 
mints in his pockets just as squirrels might. 

On Sunday evening every one on the estate, 
old and young, from the owner to the humblest 
sheep-herder, gathers in the great hall of the 
castle and with the fine organ as an accom- 
paniment joins in singing the favorite hymns of 

19? 



iWotoring atiroab 



the host and hostess. Mr. Carnegie is known 
personally to almost every resident in that 
part of Scotland, and is beloved by all with 
whom he comes in contact. 

Before we reached Inverness we had decided 
that we would go down the west coast of Scot- 
land instead of retracing our route over the 
moors. The former route would take us along 
the course of the famous Caledonian Canal 
which, formed by locks connecting a number of 
long, narrow lakes, cuts Scotland in two, making 
the northern portion an island. We found no 
difficulty in getting information regarding the 
route as far as Fort William. Every one told 
us that for that distance it was a level road, fol- 
lowing the course of the Canal, and exceedingly 
picturesque. We could get, however, no in- 
formation as to what sort of road we should find 
from Fort William to Oban. Even the accom- 
modating proprietor of the Alexandra Hotel at 
Inverness could give us no definite information, 
nor could we find at any garage in Inverness 
any one who could outline our route. It seemed 
from all we heard that there were several fiords, 
or lochs (lakes) running from the sea far up 
between the mountains which were difficult 
to cross because of lack of ferry facilities, and 

198 



^long ti)t Calebonian Canal 



that the trip around them was circuitous, long, 
and with many steep grades and poor roads. 

We concluded, however, to go ahead, believing 
that if we could not get through from Fort 
William to Oban we could retrace our way to 
Inverness and that the trip down the shores of 
the Caledonian Canal and back would, in itself, 
be an enjoyable one. 

We started from Inverness on a bright sunny 
morning, one of the few days in our entire 
sojourn in Scotland when it did not rain or 
*'mist." We never knew how much sunshine 
added to a day until we took this trip in Scot- 
land, for we had experienced almost continually 
from the time we entered Scotland the "Scotch 
mist," some of it so thick you could lean against it. 
In other instances it was a polite and romantic 
name for a good, old-fashioned rain. We had 
become convinced that there was some truth in 
the cynic's remark that all children in the north 
of Scotland were born web-footed and with a 
mackintosh on. The expression, "What a 
beautiful country this would be if the sun 
would only shine," became so threadbare from 
over-use that we agreed by common consent 
to give it a rest. And, yet, with all the rain we 
look back on this part of our trip with keenest 

199 



iMotoring ^broatr 



pleasure. Like the natives we simply agreed to 
let it rain if it wanted to, and went about our 
business and our sight-seeing as if each day was 
the fairest we had ever seen. But what a beau- 
tiful country it would be if the sun would only 
shine ! 

Several friends, young ladies, who were "ac- 
companying us by train" left Inverness two hours 
ahead of us on one of the steamers which makes 
the trip daily to Oban through the Canal. We 
were on the lookout for the steamer and in a 
short time we caught our first glimpse of it push- 
ing its watery way down through a magnificent 
mountain gorge, leaving a long trail of smoke 
as a telltale of its passage. 

In the course of a half-hour we had come 
abreast of it and noticed that it had changed its 
course to come across the loch, which at this 
point was about a mile wide, and was heading 
for a landing which we saw ahead of us. The 
steamer and our car reached there at the same 
time and we ran our motor down onto the quay 
to chat with our friends, a trick which seemed to 
greatly interest the other passengers on the boat, 
who were largely Scotch and English. 

Within a mile from the landing, the road we 
were following became so tortuous and the 

200 




The groups of Highland cattle which we fre- 
quently saw on the hillsides gave a touch of 
life to the rugged country. 



Slong tf)e Calebonian Canal 



mountains so numerous that we lost track of the 
steamer and we did not see our friends again 
until the next morning at Oban. This trip along 
the Caledonian Canal gave us an unending suc- 
cession of exquisite views of mountain, moor and 
lake. The scenery was rugged and picturesque 
by turns with here and there a quaint little 
hamlet generally at the canal locks, through 
which sailboats of unique form were continuously 
passing. 

On reaching Fort William we decided that we 
would stop for luncheon at the Alexandra Hotel, 
as it was on the main street, and not undertake 
to reach the Station Hotel some distance above 
the town on the hillside. We made a mistake, 
however, in not going to the hotel managed by 
the railway company. In almost every town in 
Scotland these are far superior to others and 
should be patronized in preference. The Alex- 
andra Hotel at Fort William will go down in 
memory as one of the horrors of our Scottish 
tour. 

Before luncheon I went out to interview 
various people in the town to see what the 
chances were of our getting through to Oban. 
I found the most dense ignorance on this sub- 
ject. A man who kept a bicycle shop could tell 

201 



jWotorins aibroab 



me nothing except that he beUeved two or three 
motors had succeeded in getting through. The 
hotel proprietor's mind was a blank on this 
subject. In desperation I went to the office 
of the steamboat company. There the agent, 
who was exceedingly courteous, assured me that 
there was little chance of our being able to get 
through in our car and advised putting it on 
his boat and sending it to Oban in this way. 
Since we were not on a boating but on a motor 
car trip, I decided to adhere to our original 
determination to go through by motor car if it 
were in any way possible. 

Finally, at the post office, I found an official 
who told me that he thought we could get through ; 
that the roads w^ere fine but that there were two 
great obstacles: one Loch Leven, a fiord at 
Ballachulish and the other the Loch Etive, a 
fiord at Benderloch. He said he understood 
that a new ferry had just been built at Balla- 
chulish to take motor cars across, but that there 
was no ferry at Benderloch and w^e should have 
to telegraph to the station master of the Cale- 
donian Railway at Oban and have him send a 
flat car to Benderloch to take us and the motor 
across the railroad bridge. 

That the reader may understand this west 

202 



along tfje Calebonian Canal 



coast of Scotland and its difficulties for motoring, 
as well as its magnificent beauties, it may be well 
to say that a wilder country within the civilized 
portion of the globe does not exist. The ranges 
of the highest mountains in Scotland are all on 
its west coast. Ben Nevis, covered with snow 
even in August when we saw it, and a dozen 
other great mountains, all frown down upon the 
ocean that beats against what is literally a 
rock-bound coast. This is broken by many 
arms of the sea which, like the fiords of Norway, 
run far into the interior. 

The country is sparsely settled and one view- 
ing it may easily see that the ruggedness of the 
Scotch race is native. But the views of moun- 
tain and sea, which are majestic beyond de- 
scription, more than compensate for the trip. 
The road for miles follows the contour of the 
shore-line high up along the brow of the cliffs 
overlooking the sea, and winding in and out 
close to the edge of the gorges, where in many 
instances the sea hurls itself in between the 
narrow chasms of rocks with a booming like 
distant cannonading. 

After my talk with the postmaster at Fort 
William I decided to telegraph to Oban, and 
as the telegraph office and post office are one in 

203 



ifHotoring ^broab 



Scotland, both being managed by the Govern- 
ment, the dispatch was quickly sent and I had 
the reply by the time we had finished luncheon. 
It read : 

"Flat car for motor will wait you Benderloch statiou. Cost 

7-6 . StATIONM ASTER . ' ' 

The promptness and business character of 
this dispatch determined us on following our 
original plan, and our car was soon humming a 
merry tune along the beautiful mountain road 
toward Ballachulish. We left Fort William 
about two o'clock in the afternoon and it was at 
least four when w^e reached Ballachulish and 
pulled up at the comfortable Scotch-like stone 
inn on the side of the fiord, or Loch Leven, to 
give it its proper geographical name. 

I hunted up the proprietor immediately and 
asked him where the ferry was as we had dis- 
covered no place where a boat of this nature 
could land. In his broad Scotch he replied: 
"She's a bit awa' man, lying o'er yon," and 
pointed to the distant side of the fiord, which was 
perhaps a quarter of a mile wide and sharply 
driven in between the mountains. All that any 
of us could discover "a bit awa' o'er yon" was 
what looked to be a small rowboat. But the 

204 




It was a job requiring the greatest care to bal- 
ance our heavy car on this "ferryboat" and 
take it safely across the fiord. 



^long tije Calebonian Canal 



innkeeper assured us that it was a real ferry and 
large enough to take our car across. 

We had decided misgivings regarding this but 
told him to get the boat over and we w^ould see 
whether we wished to risk putting the motor 
upon it. In a few minutes two lusty Scots were 
rowing a yawl across the fiord, out of which the 
tide was running at a speed of certainly fifteen 
miles an hour. 

In the course of half an hour they had towed 
the ferryboat across and had moored it at the 
end of a steep, stone-paved declivity running 
into the sea. And then a jabber began, all in 
Gaelic, not one word of which could be under- 
stood or even guessed at by any of our party. 
At the end of five minutes of spirited conversa- 
tion the Scotch innkeeper, who was also lessee 
of the ferry, explained to me that we should 
have to wait about an hour and a half until 
the tide had lowered sufiiciently to bring the 
gunwale of the boat level with the end of the 
lowest part of the sloping stone landing. He 
felt sure then that they could put some planks 
across the sides of the boat and some other 
planks from these to the landing and run the 
motor on to the ferryboat. As the craft was 
just nine feet across in its widest part and the 

205 



ilMotorins Sbroab 



wheel base of our car was eight feet eight inches, 
it was going to be necessary to do some careful 
balancing even if we got the motor on safely. 
All this looked easier than getting our car 
down the slippery, stone-paved slope, which an 
hour ago had been covered by the eighteen-foot 
tide, and at this time was covered with slimy 
seaweeds. It took no great imagination to pic- 
ture a 3,000 pound automobile with wheels 
locked, tobogganing down that slimy slope and 
landing with a running jump far out in the deep, 
dark waters of the fiord. The ferry master 
answered our suggestions as to this possibility by 
calling attention to large iron rings which were 
set in the stonework about every ten feet down 
the slope, assuring us that he had strong ropes 
which he would fasten to the rear axle of the car 
and run through these rings and in this w^ay hold 
the car in check. 



206 




Cnbing tfje ^cottisffj tE^our anb 
Cmbarfeins for Srelanb 




We had to put our motor on the flat car so as 
to he ready when the train came to take ^^s to 
Oban. {This photograph was taken at 8.45 
p.m.) 



chapter €ist)teen 

Cntring tije tlaur in ^totlanb anb Cmbatfeing 
for Srelanb 

THE hour and a half we had to wait for the 
tide, which, according to the old adage, 
"waits for no man," we spent it in won- 
dering how it would feel in making the rest of 
the trip by rail after our car had sunk out of 
sight by the capsizing of the little boat to which 
we were to intrust it. 

All things have an end, however, and so did 
our wait, which seemed interminable at that 
time, but we were soon actively engaged in the 
preparations for embarking our car. George, 
who was acting as chauffeur, without the slightest 
sign of timidity, climbed into his seat, ropes at- 
tached to the rear axle were slackened and 
the descent was begun, inch by inch, with the 
care and precaution that characterizes every- 
thing that the Scotch do. The car finally 

209 



jWotoring ^broab 



reached the boat; then gradually more rope was 
given it until it was evenly balanced. The 
wheels were lashed together and roped securely 
to the boat, blocks were put in front of and back 
of each wheel and finally the ferryman announced 
himself ready to start, urging us at the same time 
to step in and go across with the motor. 

There was a universal exclamation, "Not for 
me!" If that boat was going to do anything in 
the balancing line, and the car was going to 
break away and change the center of gravity so 
that the boat would capsize, all of us, except 
George, preferred to be on shore to watch the 
proceeding rather than be parties to it. Just as 
the boat was pushing off, however, some bicy- 
clists came down the sloping quay and five or 
six of them climbed in and paid their penny each 
to go across on that trip. We followed in an- 
other boat manned by two of the men who had 
assisted in embarking our motor. The trip 
across, the landing on the other side, and the 
climb up the slippery, sloping, stone quay was 
made, however, after a good deal of painstaking 
care and fear on my part that something would 
give way and spoil, at the last moment, the suc- 
cess of our effort. When the car was finally 
landed on solid ground we climbed in and after 

210 



Cmljarkins for Srelanln 



bidding our friends of the ferry adieu, paying 
the ^1 fee and distributing liberal tips, we started 
for Benderloch. 

It is doubtful if any of us will ever forget the 
magnificent ride in the long twilight of that 
August evening. There was hardly a stretch of 
one hundred yards that could, by any trick of 
imagination, be called straight. We rushed 
through labyrinths of forests carpeted with 
ferns; we followed deep foliage-embowered 
chasms, up one side, and then, after a sharp turn, 
returned on parallel lines down the other. We 
climbed steep grades and shot down toboggan 
slides, catching a glimpse here of the sea and 
there of the mountains, till finally, just about 
dark, we reached Benderloch. 

The "town" of Benderloch is a railroad station 
and one forlorn little store. It looks big on the 
map and it had been so much talked about by 
us that we had mentally pictured it as quite a 
metropolis. On a siding near the well-kept sta- 
tion, in the windows of which were the usual box 
of geraniums and bright flowers, we saw what 
was evidently the flat car which had been sent to 
meet us. But it took several minutes to disclose 
any sign of humanity. Finally the Scotch sta- 
tion-keeper answered my knocking and came 

211 



iHotorins Sbroab 



from his apartment in the second floor where he 
Hved with his family. 

I introduced myself and showed him the tele- 
gram which I had received from the station 
master at Oban. 

*'0, weel man," he said, "that's a' richt, but 
you should hae been here in time for the train." 

"The dispatch doesn't say anything about a 
train," I answered. 

"Weel, I tak' it he thoct you'd kenned. The 
train has been gone for half an oor, and the 
flat should hae been ta'en ower by the train." 

"When does the next train go.^" 

"There'll be na mair," replied he, "'till 
twenty minutes past eleven Monday forenoon." 

And this was Saturday night! 

Well, we were literally nonplussed for a few 
minutes but soon regained our wits sufficiently 
to ask if there was any place where we could 
stay all night as it was getting so dark we did 
not wish to go much further in the motor over 
unknown roads, and we had passed no houses 
for miles back. 

"You can return tae Ballachulish," he said, 
"which is aboot thirty miles, and that is the 
nearest place." 

We told him we had just come from there and 

212 




The road down the irest const of Scotland 
hugs the sea for much of the way, sometimes nt 
its level and again many feet above it. 



Cmbarbing for Srelanb 



would not think of going over that mountain road 
in the night. 

"Is there no place in the station where we can 
sleep?" we asked. 

"Na," he replied, "my wife and I and our six 
bairns live upstairs and we hae no room." 

Here was a dilemma. We had had nothing 
to eat since noon and we did not look forward 
with keen anticipation to a supper and break- 
fast of Suchard chocolate, French sausage and 
**Perrier" water, a supply of which we always 
carried in the car for emergencies. 

As a last resort T asked if he could call up the 
office of the railroad at Oban and see if they 
would send a special engine over to pull the flat 
car with the motor on it over to Oban, a distance 
of only nine miles, but a real case of "so near 
and yet so far." 

He agreed to do this and we waited patiently 
for him to call up on the telephone — all train 
dispatching in that part of Scotland is done by 
telephone. After what seemed to be an inter- 
minable wait he opened conversation with some 
one at the other end of the line. It proved to be 
a clerk in the main office of the company at 
Oban who said that the station master and 
every one else had gone home and he alone was 

213 



iWotorins gltiroab 



on duty. I besought the agent to ask him to 
call up the station master at his home and see 
if he could not get action. This he consented to 
do and after another long wait the station master 
called up our friend, the station agent, and told 
him he would be very glad to accommodate us 
and get us out of our dilemma provided he could 
find an engineer who would be willing to make 
the trip, and who would go down to the round- 
house and get steam up in one of the engines, 
all of which had been put away Saturday night 
until Monday morning — for Sunday is literally 
a day of rest in all parts of Scotland. 

Another long wait, during which the shadows 
had darkened into night. Then the telephone 
bell rang, a glad and joyous sound which 
brought us into the office of the station agent. 

Yes, the official in Oban had found an en- 
gineer who was obliging enough to make the 
trip, but to get out a special at that time of night 
and to come over for us would be very expensive, 
and the station agent must explain fully to the 
Americans the great cost and get the money 
before anything would be done in Oban. 

"Find out how much it will be," I asked with 
impatience. 

*Tt will cost," said the station agent after 

214 



Cmbarfems for Srelanb 



word came over the wire, "three pounds 
($15.00)." 

Reaching down into my pocket I produced a 
five-pound note quicker than I ever did before 
and enjoined him to tell the oiBficial at the other 
end that he had the money in hand and to send 
the engine. 

Then came another wait, and at last the glad 
sound! Away over across the dark stream of 
the fiord and echoing up against the mountain 
side, we heard our special coming and finally 
the great headlight loomed up through the dark- 
ness and in rolled what we heard referred to in 
Oban afterward as **The Millionaire American's 
Special." It was one of the handsomest loco- 
motives I have ever seen, and attached to it was 
a beautiful, modern, first-class passenger coach 
and a luggage van. Coming as it was to us and 
for us in our dilemma no train rich in the trap- 
pings and furnishings of royalty could have 
looked as beautiful. 

While we were waiting for the train we had 
run our *'Loco" up the slope arranged for teams 
to the loading platform and upon the side- 
tracked car. Here we had properly secured it 
with ropes so there was no delay when our 
special arrived. It took but a few minutes to 

215 



otoring Sbroab 



attach the car to the train, and with one loud, 
triumphant scream of the whistle, which echoed 
and re-echoed through the mountain fastnesses 
we pulled out of Benderloch and were off for 
Oban — with Oban only nine miles away. 

When we arrived at the station in the city we 
were met by what appeared to be an immense 
crowd, people who had heard, we presume, that 
some fool American had hired a special train to 
bring him and his family and motor to the city 
that he might not miss the joys and delights of 
an Oban Sunday. We felt very much as if w^e 
were the Lord Mayors and Mayoresses of some 
town being received with the freedom of the 
city. To the frugal Scotch such reckless ex- 
travagance as a special train to save a few hours 
was a folly which would be indulged in only by 
Americans. We still feel that in a country 
where a shilling is spent as we in America spend 
a dollar, our special will long be referred to as 
an evidence of the recklessness with which 
Americans throw their money away. 

Oban is termed by Baedeker, *'The Charing 
Cross of the Highlands," because it is the center 
of so much traffic by rail and steamer. It lacks 
any individual interest other than that which 
attaches to many places having attractive views 

216 



i^r, 



On the trip from Inverness the road keeps 
close to the Caledonian Canal, which is formed 
by connecting a string of beautiful lakes. 



Cmbarfeing for Srelanb 



of sea and mountain. It is the keystone of the 
arch for tourists to the west of Scotland, how- 
ever, and is thronged all summer, as it is the 
point from which many trips by land and sea 
are started. 

The Alexandra Hotel, at which we stopped, 
is thoroughly high class in its charges. It is 
still a question for discussion among our party 
whether the springless beds we tried to sleep in 
were made of uneven wooden blocks set on 
end, or pine tree cones. In either event they 
were the worst we found on our tour. Our Oban 
experience confirmed us in the belief that the 
so-called "Station" hotels, operated and owned 
by the railway companies, are the best at which 
to stop in most if not all Scotch cities of im- 
portance. 

The trip from Oban to Ardlui, which is sit- 
uated at the north end of Loch Lomond, we made 
on Sunday and it is one of the days we shall 
always remember. The Brander Pass over 
which we traveled furnished one of the best 
tests of the hill-climbing abilities of our car 
to which we had put it. The road, which 
leads over the divide separating the lake region 
of Scotland from the sea, is laid through a defile 
in the mountains with snow-capped Ben Nevis 

217 



ifWotorins Sliroab 



in sight to the north and Loch Lomond and the 
surrounding mountains on the east and south. 
It is narrow and tortuous with steep grades and 
sharp declivities and its surface we found was 
none too good because of the many loose stones. 

But the views that we enjoyed will never be 
forgotten by any of the party. They were 
sublime and magnificent, and we often wished 
for a camera which would have the capacity to 
furnish a satisfactory photographic reproduc- 
tion. It was the typical scenery of the Scotch 
highlands we had so often seen pictured, with 
here and there a group of long-haired cattle in 
the foreground and always a background of 
mountains. 

From either side of the road the heather 
stretched far up on the mountainside, which 
was broken here and there by waterfalls or deep 
ravines. We followed a stream almost all the 
way; one from Oban to its source and then, 
crossing the ridge, another down to Ardlui where 
it emptied into Loch Lomond. 

Some of the grades in the road which we 
passed over are so steep that only high-powered 
cars can take them, and during the day we 
passed three touring cars which had been aban- 
doned and left at the side of the road by parties 

218 




We will never forget the beautiful ride along 
the shores of Loch Lomond from Tarbet down 
to Balloch. 



Cmbarfemg for Srelanb 



who had evidently given up the attempt. Our 
car, with its load of six people and two heavy 
trunks strapped on behind, made the trip with- 
out missing an explosion of a cylinder, and so 
delighted were we when we reached the summit 
that we all felt that we ought to give the car a 
deserved rest, while we sat in silent admiration 
of the sublime view of the valley far below us. 
We stopped at Ardlui only long enough to 
have a cup of tea and a light luncheon, and then 
pushed on down the beautiful, mountain- 
hemmed loch to Tarbet, where we found one 
of the most attractively situated hotels in Scot- 
land. All there is of Tarbet is the hotel, which 
faces Loch Lomond with nothing between it and 
the water but well-kept lawns. The house gives 
indications of having been originally built as 
the residence of nobility. It is of granite 
and very substantial in appearance, and is 
admirably conducted. It offers the finest view 
up and down the loch to be found anywhere, 
and also one of the best views of Ben Lomond 
and the Trossachs across the water. All the time 
we were there, however, the summit of Ben 
Lomond was wrapped in mist so that we did 
not get a good view of its symmetrical form. 
Inversnaid, which is the entrance to the 



219 



iMotorins ^broab 



Trossaclis, is almost opj)osite the Tarbet Hotel. 
It is from this point that the coaching trips 
begin, but we did not go over, as motors are 
prohibited in that section. 

We stayed all night at Tarbet and then fol- 
lowed the road which hugs the west shore of the 
loch closely all the way down to its foot at 
Balloch. This is a most beautiful, but most 
dangerous road for motoring. It winds in and 
out along the shores of the loch with so many 
and such abrupt turns that there is constant 
danger of colliding with motor cars coming in 
the opposite direction. In fact, there are so 
many curves, at which a view of the road ahead 
is obscured by embankments and bushes, that a 
collision would have been almost inevitable had 
we met a motor car at any one of the most danger- 
ous points. We kept our siren going almost con- 
tinuously and ran very slowly, taking nearly two 
hours for the trip from Tarbet to Balloch, a dis- 
tance of only about eighteen miles. We were 
glad to go slowly, however, for it gave us fuller 
opportunities of enjoying the many exquisite 
views across and upon the farther shore of the 
loch. 

When we reached Balloch it was but a short 
run to the Clyde and, as we did not care to go 

220 



J 


1 ■ • 


^-■t 


^^^^^^^^^^^^Hl^^^WilWIBilPf ■.3'^^mt^- -^^^^mf^^ 




f 




'—'^^" 



We crossed the Clyde below Glasgow on a plat- 
form ferry, one end of which they ran up on 
the stone-paved shore. 



Cmbarfemg for Srelanb 



into Glasgow because of the long run through 
an uninviting tenement and manufacturing dis- 
trict along the Clyde, we crossed the river at a 
ferry just before reaching the outskirts of the 
city and took the straight road for Paisley, the 
city that makes the famous shawls, one of which 
it is said the late Queen Victoria always gave as 
a wedding present. We stopped there for 
luncheon and then ran on to Troon, which we 
reached early in the afternoon. 

We stopped here at the Marine Hotel, beau- 
tifully situated out on the edge of the town, al- 
most adjacent to the handsome granite golf club- 
house and with nothing but the links between 
it and the sea. It had been very highly recom- 
mended to us, and we found it fully up to its 
reputation as one of the best of Scotch hotels. 

The Troon and the Prestwick golf courses, 
which are among the most renowned in Scot- 
land, adjoin each other so closely that the mem- 
bers of the two clubs frequently play from one 
clubhouse to the other — playing the first nine 
holes over one course and the second nine over 
the next, and then, after lunch, playing back 
again and covering thirty-six holes in all. 

Letters which we carried were an open sesame 
at the Troon Club. We were made very wel- 

221 



iWotoring Sbroab 



come there and enjoyed some fine games. Prest- 
wick is said to be the most exclusive club in 
Scotland and no one is permitted the privileges of 
its links except upon a letter of introduction from 
a member. These we had fortunately been pro- 
vided with so that, during the three days we spent 
at Troon, my son and I were enabled to play over 
each course. It is said that the waiting list at 
Prestwick is such a long one that gentlemen 
propose their sons for membership as soon as 
they are born, in the hope that they will be 
elected by the time they reach the age of eligi- 
bility. 

While we were at Troon we made several visits 
to Ayr and a number of other interesting places 
in the land o' Burns. Almost everything in and 
around Ayr is built about the history of the poet 
Burns, and everybody who visits the town of 
course goes to see the cottage in which he was 
born in 1759, and which now contains a few 
relics of this distinguished Scot. We visited 
also, as every one does, the Auld Alio way Kirk, 
between which and the road is the grave of 
Burns's father. Just beyond the church are two 
bridges across the Doon, the older one being the 
one over which Tam o'Shanter is said to have 
escaped. 

222 



embarking for Srelanb 



Leaving Troon we followed the coast down 
through Girvan and Turnberry to Stranraer 
where we planned to take the boat across the 
North Channel to Larne in Ireland. This road 
is most beautiful and picturesque, and the 
country is such a favorite one with tourists that 
the railway company has just completed an im- 
mense hotel at Turnberry and a fine eighteen- 
hole golf course. The sea was in full view almost 
the entire distance, as was the Ailsa Craig, a 
bold, symmetrical mountain which rises directly 
out of the sea ten miles off shore. It was par- 
ticularly beautiful the day we passed as clouds 
were hanging to its sides, and hiding every little 
while its summit from view. 

We were cautioned by the telegram which we 
had received from the agent of the steamship 
line at Stranraer, to have our motor there at six 
o'clock to insure its being taken across to Ireland 
that night. We had calculated our time and 
distance so that we should reach the boat in 
ample time, but about four miles out of Stranraer 
our left rear wheel settled and we discovered a 
flat tire. "A puncture," we all cried in unison, 
and sure enough it was one, the very first we 
had had. We had made the entire trip through 
France and up through England and Scotland 

223 



ifflotoring Sbroab 



and down almost to the point of leaving Scot- 
land without a single puncture, and that we 
should have our first experience at just the time 
when w^e wanted to catch a boat to save a day 
was exasperating. 

Not a moment was lost in getting the tools out, 
jacking up the car, loosening the shoe and tak- 
ing out the old tube. It was a case of team work 
and we did not even look to see where the 
puncture w^as in the inner tube, but put in another 
one and made record time in getting the tire 
back on and blowing it up. Tools were thrown 
into the tonneau, every one climbed in in a hurry 
and off we rushed, reaching the boat just in time. 

To get the car on the steamer was some- 
what of a problem. The boat, like many in 
channel service, w as a side-wheeler, and the after 
portion of the boat, where the car w^as to be 
loaded, w^as far away from the pier and there 
was no derrick by which it could be lifted aboard. 
It was, therefore, necessary to run the car down 
heavy eighteen-foot planks reaching from the 
quay to the deck of the boat. 

George climbed up and took the wheel with 
what we all thought was a good deal of nerve. 
Sloping blocks were put against the end of the 
planks so that the front wheels could be run up 

224 




// required cool nerve and careful handling to 
run the car on the boat over the two long planks. 



Cmliarfeins for irelanb 



on them. The planks themselves had to be 
adjusted with absolute measurement so they 
would come exactly in front of each wheel and 
avoid the possibility of the car going off either 
side. When I saw how the car was to be loaded 
I willingly paid the extra fee of ^ve shillings 
for handling and shipment at the company's 
risk, making the total charge for freight and 
handling 27s U (about ($6.60). 

We finally got the front wheels up on the 
planks and then George gradually let the car 
down the incline until the rear wheels were also 
on the planks. Then, with brakes hard-set, he 
lowered it inch by inch until it was safe on the 
deck. There was a sheer drop between the 
planks and the water of at least ten to fifteen 
feet and the least little swerving of the car would 
have caused a disaster. We all breathed freer 
when we saw it safe on the deck and lashed in 
place, and' promptly adjourned to the dining- 
saloon for dinner. 

We had the first evidence here that we were 
getting within the zone of Ireland. The waiters 
all had a broad Irish brogue and many of the 
passengers showed distinctly by their speech and 
conversation that they were at home on the 
Emerald Isle. 

225 



4 




chapter jSmeteen 
tETfje i^ortf) of Srelanb anln 




On the way to the Giant's Causewaij we 
under a curious arch cut out of solid rock 



chapter Mnttttn 
tlfje iSortlj of Srelanb anb tfje (giant's; Cau^ettiap 

THE run across to Lame is only about two 
hours and at the landing stage we found 
a derrick equipped for lifting the car 
out. The rain which we hoped we had left in 
Scotland was following us, however, and we 
were glad to get under shelter at the Olderfleet 
Hotel, which adjoins the quay. 

We left Larne bright and early the next 
morning to make, if possible, the run up to 
the Giant's Causeway and get back to Belfast 
that evening. This would necessitate our doing 
about one hundred and twenty-five miles. We 
followed the coast road and found it good, al- 
though not up to the standard of the roads in 
England and Scotland and far below those in 
France. It was about such a road as one would 
find in going from New York to Boston. The 
country looked prosperous, and we all said that 
the poverty and squalor of Ireland must be a 
myth if it was all like this portion. Were it not 

229 



iWotoring abraab 



for the thatched-roof cottages, the scores of peat 
beds and the typical Irish jaunting cars we saw, 
we might easily have imagined ourselves touring 
in the most fertile and well-wooded parts of the 
Massachusetts coast. We had some glorious 
views of the sea, and stopped to enjoy them, and 
also to watch a shooting party working the 
moors with well-trained dogs and beaters. 

Our route, which was plainly shown on 
Bartholomew's Road Maps that we used, took 
us along the very edge of the cliffs skirting the 
sea and through the picturesque little towns of 
Glenarm and Ballycastle, thoroughly Irish, al- 
though prosperous in appearance. Many of the 
towns in Ireland prefix "Bally" as part of their 
name. We did not learn what it meant although 
we asked a number of persons. 

We reached the Giant's Causeway about noon 
without incident except nearly frightening a 
small boy to death. Just as we came around 
a curve in the road we discovered him a short 
distance ahead of us and turned our big siren 
loose for one of its longest and loudest wails. 
This was too much for the boy. He took one 
glance at the car rushing toward him and evi- 
dently thinking the devil himself was coming, 
he broke out into the most agonizing yells as he 

230 



tlije (Smnt'g Causiettiap 



stood at the side of the road actually '^frightened 
stiff," as boys say. I think I have never seen 
such an expression of abject terror on a human 
face as was shown on his when we rushed by him. 
While we were in Ireland I saw a letter received 
by a gentleman who had been touring there, 
which is worth quoting. It was as follows: 

Sligo, May 11th, 1906. 
Sir: 

Take notice too what I say, on February 24th your motor car 
came on the publick road from Ballaghadereen direction as soon 
as you came on the Clabough road near Lough Garadident you 
see a young girl running with a Polly Black cow, you never 
sounded the horn untill you were close by me, I was nervous for 
the past seven years on account of the death of my brother, I got 
better of the complaint, Doctor O 'Boyle that attended me when 
I was nervous and he had great pity for me, he told me if I ever 
got a fret again I would get nervous a second time, and he said 
the second nervousness would be worst than the jfirst, I got sick 
after the fret I got with your motor on Friday, February 24th. 
Honourable gentleman, I appeal to you for some charity, as I am 
an orphant girl, the clergymen and gentlemen about my place 
told me to let you know about it they told me you are a good 
gentleman that will give me some charity money when I got sick 
by the motor fret. 

(signed) Mary O'Brien. 

When we approached the Giant's Causeway 
we were met by the enterprising runners of the 
two principal hotels there, and it looked for a 
few moments as if we would have to resort 
to something more than diplomacy to protect 

231 



JWotoring ^broab 



ourselves from their insistence. Each man 
represented that his was the only hotel which 
self-respecting motorists should for a moment 
consider patronizing. One man even went so 
far as to stand in front of our car and tell us 
that automobiles were not permitted up the road 
to his rival's hotel, which we had started to take. 
His competitor, however, was alert and told us 
to drive ahead which we did, almost upsetting 
the man in our way. 

We had selected the Causeway Hotel and en- 
joyed a very satisfactory lunch there before 
starting out for the tour of this wonderful crea- 
tion of Nature. 

There is nothing to be said about the Giant's 
Causeway which has not already been said or 
written. It is wonderful and impressive beyond 
all description and is in itself worth the trip to 
Ireland. Even its location is dramatic, standing 
as it does at the very north end of the island. 
The mythical stories connected with it as re- 
lated by the glib-tongued guides, each of whom 
will solemnly aver that he is the best guide there, 
are worth listening to. 

The most popular story is that the ancient 
gods who lived in Ireland and Scotland in the 
age of mythological things, got into a quarrel 

232 




;?; (^ 



i^ 









■5 S 






o^ 



tEfje (Sianf fl( Causfettja? 



and the Irish god dared the Scotch one to come 
over and fight it out. "How can I cross the sea?" 
the Scotch god is supposed to have repHed. 
'*Even my seven-league boots and my colossal 
legs will not take me across in safety, therefore 
I cannot come, although if I should come I 
would easily be able to wring your neck with 
one hand tied behind me." "That you could 
not do had you a score of hands," replied the 
Irish god, "and, to explode your idle claim that 
it's the sea between us that is keeping you frora 
a fight I'll lay a walk for you to cross on dry- 
footed." And with that he plucked a few hun 
dred thousand granite blocks from the great 
cliffs, hewed them in octagon shape so as to 
make a good pavement, and drove them, end 
on, into the sea, making a roadway across. 

Mythology does not record whether the Scot 
then came over or how the fight, if they had one, 
came out, but the stones to the number of over 
fourteen thousand are still there, running far 
out into and under the surface of the sea. 

We spent a couple of hours walking over the 
smoothly surfaced octagon-shaped stones which 
form the Causeway, and each one of the party 
sat in the famous "Wishing Chair," a single stone 
set lower than the ones on either side and be- 

233 



Jflotoring Sbraab 



hind, so as to form a granite chair of comfortable 
proportions. Every one who sits here, so the story 
goes, and makes a wish, is certain to have it 
fulfilled. It would be curious to know how 
many million people have received what they 
wanted if this be true, for the wishing chair has 
been occupied almost every minute of daylight 
for centuries by the steady procession of travelers 
and excursionists who have visited the Causeway. 

After taking a boat and visiting the near-by 
caves, which open out into the sea and can only be 
entered when the sea is relatively smooth and at 
low tide, and running the gauntlet of curio ven- 
ders, we started on our run to Belfast. Our route 
took us, first, through Bushmills, only a few 
miles from the Causeway. This is where the 
famous distilleries are located from which comes 
the finest of all Irish whisky, known wherever 
good liquor is known. From here we ran in a 
few minutes to Port Rush, a popular resort hav- 
ing the finest golf links in Ireland, thence south- 
east through Ballymena and Antrim, reaching 
Belfast and the Grand Central Hotel, which is 
too poor for such a pretentious name, just about 
dark. 

The afternoon run took us through a typical 
Irish country of the better class. We saw no 

234 







:?: ■« 












tCjE (giantess Cau3a;eh3aj> 



noticeable poverty; instead the country folk 
looked fairly prosperous. Our American flag, 
which we had attached to one of our lamps, 
and which had fluttered in the breezes through- 
out the entire trip, attracted a good deal of atten- 
tion. We imagined it gave us a welcome be- 
cause almost every family in the north of Ireland 
has friends or relatives somewhere in the United 
States, if not on the New York police force. 
Our siren seemed to be an entire novelty and 
frequently, if we let it out while going through 
some of the streets in the little towns, where 
every front door opened directly upon the pave- 
ment, it would bring the entire population to 
windows or doors, and send children, pigs, dogs, 
and geese scurrying to places of safety. 

If Belfast was all there was in Ireland it would 
not pay the motorist to go there. It is a great 
busy, thriving city of nearly 400,000 inhabitants. 
It has been for many years, and is at present, the 
headquarters of the linen industries of Ireland; 
it is also a great shipbuilding center where many 
of the largest trans-Atlantic liners are con- 
structed. It lies low, and a large portion of it has 
been built upon ground reclaimed from the 
river or sea, although there are hills to the north 
and the west. 

235 



iMotoring Sbroab 



Belfast strikes the stranger as a particularly 
dirty, ill-kept town, and the hotel at which we 
stopped emphasized the impression. It is un- 
fortunate that a city of its size and importance 
should not have a better leading hotel, one that 
would do credit to the town. 

Belfast is said to be the cheapest place in all 
Europe or Great Britain in which to shop, and 
this was borne out by our experience. Any one 
who wishes to buy fine linen, from laces to table 
cloths, can find it in Belfast; not only as good 
but cheaper than any other place in the world. 

The buildings, especially in the main portion 
of Belfast, are very pretentious, and there are 
several fine statues in the business streets, not- 
ably those of Queen Victoria, Lord Dufferin, and 
Sir Edward Harland of shipbuilding fame, which 
attract a great deal of attention, as also does the 
Royal Victoria Hospital, one of the finest in 
Great Britain, opened in 1903. 

The first forenoon we were in Belfast we 
visited the Albert Memorial Clock Tower, the 
magnificent new City Hall, one of the finest 
municipal buildings in the world, and several 
other public institutions. We also took jaunting 
cars and went down through the slums. There 
is probably more squalor and abject poverty in 

236 




Sometimes we would meet a market woman 
who was resting her diminutive donkey, utterly 
indifferent to the fact that she occupied most of 
the road. 




There are some wonderful rock effects on the 
North Shore of Ireland, up near the Cause- 
way, which show the fierce pounding of the sea. 



tCfte <giant*s{ Causietnap 



Belfast than in any other city of its size except 
Edinburgh and Glasgow. It was really revolting 
to see, during our drive through the streets of 
the tenement district, how low humanity could 
get. One street for almost an entire block was 
devoted to a bazar for the sale of things which 
the poor were trying to dispose of to meet rent 
or to buy liquor. There was everything for sale 
here from second-hand combs that had done 
service for a generation, and old shoes, up to 
broken looking-glasses and china ware, and old 
dresses, coats and trousers that looked as if they 
would not hang together an hour. 

The jaunting cars, which we used for all our 
sight-seeing and shopping in Belfast, because of 
their novelty, are an institution of Ireland; they 
are as frequently met on the main streets as are 
cabs in Regent Street, London. It is great fun 
to ride in them, and the nimbleness with which 
the ladies accustomed to their use will climb up 
on the seats, which are back to back lengthwise 
of the high-wheeled car, and jump off is some- 
thing of a marvel to Americans. It costs a 
shilling for one or two passengers to go practi- 
cally anywhere in the city and we found the 
drivers always ready with an apt and in many 
instances a witty reply. 

237 




Cfjapter STtoentp 
jf rom PelfasJt to JBublin 



chapter Ctoentp 

©ur Strip from pelfasft to ©ublin, itittft an 
Mnexpecteb experience 

WE left Belfast after lunch, for the run of 
one hundred and ten miles to Dublin 
expecting to reach the latter city early 
that evening, but we found that while the dis- 
tance was put down as one hundred and ten 
miles, they were Irish miles, which are about 
a third again as long as English miles, so that 
the real distance between the two cities is about 
one hundred and forty miles. 

The road over which we traveled is a superb 
one ; it is called the Great North Road, the same 
name which applies to the road we took from 
London to Edinburgh. It is perfectly made 
and kept in the best of condition. The country 
we went through is rich and prosperous, and we 
saw many very handsome estates which are 
maintained in as fine condition as are those in 
England. Our road took us through Newry 
and Dundalk at the head of the great Dundalk 

241 



iWotoring Sbraab 



Bay. From there we skirted the coast down to 
Dunleer. 

We were passing through a beautiful country 
between hedges and under great trees when 
bang! went one of our rear tires with a noise so 
loud and so startling that our first impression 
was we had been shot at for speeding. It took 
us but a minute to ascertain our mistake, and to 
find that we had a flat tire with a blow-out about 
eight inches long. We left the shoe at the side 
of the road, put on our spare one, an extra 
Michelin which we had carried with us on the 
entire trip, and started off again in good spirits 
hoping that our delay would not interfere with 
our reaching Dublin during the early evening. 
We had gone less than ten miles when with a 
report fully as loud as the first one, bang! went 
our other rear tire. 

Then we were in real trouble as we did not 
have a second shoe with us. We congratulated 
ourselves, however, that we had gone thus far 
on our entire trip with only one puncture and 
two blow-outs and commented on the fact that 
the tires which we had put on at Havre when we 
started the tour, had lasted the same distance 
within less than ten miles. I am satisfied that 
they would have taken us into Dublin if we had 

242 



jFrom JielfasJt to ©ublin 



not been running so fast on the hard-surfaced 
road that they became overheated. The pace 
of the car had hardly been slackened since we 
had left Belfast, and if we had taken the precau- 
tion to stop at some well or stream and cool the 
tires by pouring water over them, a trick we 
learned in France, they probably would have 
lasted us for many more miles. 

We limped along on a flat tire to the nearest 
town, which was Dunleer and drew up at a little 
inn with the idea of staying all night. One look, 
however, at the inside of the house, which proved 
to be more of a wine shop and gathering place 
for the neighborhood than a comfortable place 
for ladies to stay, decided us to go on by train to 
Dublin where we could buy additional tires and 
return in the morning to continue the trip. 

We asked how soon we could get a train into 
the city and the obliging proprietor, looking at 
the clock, said it was due at the station in three 
minutes. With that the ladies in the party, who 
were in abject horror of having to stay at this 
house all night, sprang out of the car, grabbed 
the valise containing toilet articles and started 
on a run up the street for the station, having 
received hasty directions as to how to reach it. 
I told the proprietor that we wanted to leave the 

243 



itlatoring Sliroab 



car with him all night till we could get up to 
Dublin and get new tires and by the time I had 
made this explanation the ladies had hailed a 
jaunting car, climbed up on it and were driving 
posthaste toward the station. I started after 
them realizing that the party ought not to be 
separated and that it was up to me to do some 
sprinting. In the meantime the boys had run 
the car into the courtyard, much to the con- 
sternation of the pigs and chickens, shut the 
power off, jumped out into the street like wild 
men and were sprinting after me down the road. 
This was enough for the little town of Dunleer. 
It was evidently the sensation of the year and 
the doorways of every one of the two score 
houses of the place were soon filled with women 
and children watching the race for the station, 
and wondering, I suppose, what sort of crazy 
people had struck the town. Before any of us 
reached the station the train had pulled in and 
when we got there our dismay was doubled when 
we saw that we had to climb up a stairway, 
cross the tracks on an elevated walk and go 
down on the other side. In the meantime we 
were yelling like Comanche Indians to hold the 
train, realizing that it was the last chance to get 
out of town that night. 

244 




The Irish cottage is of a type quite its own. 
Four walls, a thatched roof, a door, two win- 
dows and some whitewash. 



jfrom pelfasJt to JBnhlin 



Then it occurred to me that the boys had not 
been told what hotel we were going to in Dublin 
and would not know where to find us. But just 
as the train started they came rushing down the 
platform, having violated a strictly enforced law 
by jumping down on the tracks and climbing up 
on the other side at the rear of the train. They 
were giving vent to such vociferous yells to attract 
attention that the guard held the train, opened 
the door and let them into our compartment, 
where they tumbled into seats utterly exhausted. 
We had covered half the distance of forty miles 
to Dublin before they got back sufficient breath 
to speak intelligently. Then we realized that 
we had left the car at an unknown place and 
in addition to our trunk on the rear, there were 
in the tonneau a number of bundles contain- 
ing linen, Irish tweeds, etc., which we had 
purchased in Belfast. 

By the time we reached Dublin we had all 
regained our composure and took cabs up to the 
beautiful Shelbourne Hotel, one of the most 
delightful houses anywhere in Europe, attrac- 
tively situated on St. Stephen's Green, one of the 
large parks of the city. 

Early the next morning, as soon as any of the 
automobile supply shops were open, we pur- 

245 



iWotoring ^iroab 



chased two tires (or tyres as they are spelled 
everywhere in Great Britain) and the boys 
took an early train back to Dromin Junc- 
tion, about four miles from the place where we 
had left the car the night before, the early train 
not stopping at the Dunleer. The agent at 
Dublin told them that they could get a local 
train at Dromin, but when they got there they 
found that this was not the case and that there 
was no train until afternoon. Nor was there any 
vehicle to be found there that they could hire, 
so, with the heavy tires over their shoulders, 
they footed it the four miles. 

When they reached the inn where the car had 
been left they found that the proprietor had 
pushed it under cover and had brought all of our 
packages into the house, in fact had taken excel- 
lent care of everything. When they asked what 
the charge was he replied ''nothing at all"; that 
he hoped we had made our train and was sorry 
that we could not have remained with him all 
night as he would have tried to have made us 
very comfortable. The boys, however, insisted on 
his taking four shillings as a fee which he seemed 
to think was an exorbitant amount, as he had 
not done anything to warrant it. The boys 
made the trip into Dublin in just an hour, it is 

246 



:f ram iSeUasft to ©ublm 



almost needless to say, treating the speed limit 
of the country with absolute disdain. 

Dublin we found to be a beautiful city, one of 
the most attractive we had visited. It is the 
opposite in practically everything of Belfast. It is 
more like our city of Washington in the beauty 
and attractiveness of its public buildings and 
residences. There is a great deal of wealth 
there and it is the center of the social life of the 
aristocracy of Ireland. 

We regretted exceedingly that we were just a 
week too early for the Horse Show so that we 
should not have the opportunity of enjoying this 
event, which is of international importance and 
interest. It is doubtful if even the great races 
at Ascot, the Derby, or the St. Leger in England, 
bring together a more fashionable crowd than the 
Dublin Horse Show, and from the ladies who 
had already gathered in the city for the Show I 
am sure that the claim often made that there 
is more feminine beauty at the Dublin Horse 
Show than at any gathering in the world, is 
correct. 

Thackeray wrote, a great many years ago, that 
"a handsomer town with fewer people in it is 
impossible to meet in a summer's day." There 
were a great many people in Dublin when we 

247 



iWototins Sbroab 



were there but that did not mar the general hand- 
some appearance of the city. 

DubHn is cut in two by what is called The 
Liffey, a wide, deep stream along the lower por- 
tion of which the steamers dock. It is crossed 
by twelve bridges, each of which is substantial 
and attractive in architecture, and the full width 
of the street with which it connects on either side. 
The shops of Grafton Street are equal to those 
of Paris and London, not only in the beautiful 
goods displayed in the handsome windows and 
in stock but in the variety offered. The prices 
are, as a general thing, much lower than they are 
in the leading shops of London or Paris. 

The first record of Dublin is the year 448 a.d., 
when a king with an unpronounceable name was 
converted to Christianity by the teachings of St. 
Patrick, the gentleman who subsequently drove 
all the snakes out of Ireland. Later the city 
became the capital of the Danish settlements 
near-by. In 1170, the Anglo-Normans defeated 
the ruler and put him to death, and it then 
passed to the English king, Henry 11. , who held 
his court here in a pavilion of wickerwork made, 
it is said, ''after the country manner." 

The public buildings of Dublin, including the 
House of Parliament, the Bank of Ireland, 

248 





^'^'^W^^i^W^ 


:.^l!5jrTJ 


"Si 




'■•'', 'W-' ■ 




-fpi- 


r^ 


..,;■■ 




-> "■ ^ '' 




««««^^ 


•4. 


%^ 


m^^m 


biP 


^ 


^W' • » 


\^^s 


Ll^ 







T/i^ meeting of the Irish market woman and 
her invariable companion and helper is an 
interesting incident of a tour through the 
Emerald Isle. 



;f ram ?BeUas;t to ffiuljlin 



Trinity College, the Castle and the various 
cathedrals, as well as the National Museum and 
Library, are well worth visiting. They are not 
only a credit to Dublin; they would be a credit 
to any nation. The city's parks, St. Stephen's 
Green and the great Phoenix Park, made famous 
by the murder therein of Cavendish and Burke, 
compare most favorably with our own Central 
Park, or Prospect Park in Brooklyn, which, inci- 
dentally, it may be remarked, are more beautiful 
than any of the parks in Europe. 

One of the things which impressed me more 
than anything else in Dublin was the splendid 
work which Lord Iveagh, the head of the Guin- 
ness Brewery, has been doing in the way of 
model tenement houses. He purchased a large 
number of squares in the very poorest and most 
congested portion of the city, tore down all the 
old buildings, and erected thereon fireproof tene- 
ment houses, four stories high. They are so 
arranged that each apartment has an abundance 
of light, air and water, and connected with each 
house are large laundries and facilities for bath- 
ing. The roofs of the houses are arranged for 
playgrounds and I was told that prizes were 
given each month to the woman who kept her 
apartment in the cleanliest condition. Other 

249 



iWotoring ^broab 



prizes are offered for those who have the nicest 
display of flowers in window boxes. A premium 
is thus put on cleanUness and attractiveness. 
No one is permitted to occupy an apartment 
who earns more than a stipulated amount, it 
being the intention of the generous owner to 
have the poorest people benefit by his philan- 
thropy. The rents charged are very small; yet 
I was told, the enterprise pays a fair interest 
on the money invested. 

Here certainly is a practical philanthropy 
which some of our multi-millionaires could pat- 
tern after greatly to the advantage of the poor, 
who need model tenements to live in, and to the 
good of the cities in general. 

We should have enjoyed staying a week or more 
in Dublin, and wanted very much to take the 
run from there down through the Lakes of Kil- 
larney and the southwestern portion of Ireland 
which is so picturesque. This trip, if we had 
been able to make it, would have enabled us to 
visit Limerick and to kiss the Blarney Stone, 
and to see a section of Ireland which is noted 
everywhere as being among the world's beauty 
spots. But time was limited and we found we 
had to abandon the trip on this account. 

A favorite run from Dublin is down the coast 

250 



Jfrom JSelfasJt to ©ublin 



to Wicklow; thence through Wexford to Water- 
ford, taking in Mt. Mellary, where there is a 
quaint monastery of Trappist monks; thence 
to Lismore and Youghal on the beautiful Black- 
water River, and from there to Cork. From 
Cork it is but a short run through a magnificent 
country over the hills of Kenmare to the incom- 
parable Lakes of Killarney. The return to 
Dublin may be made by way of Limerick and 
Maryborough and the beauties of Ireland en- 
joyed in a way that is utterly impossible by rail- 
road travel. 

I am satisfied from our experience in Ireland 
that it is one of the most beautiful countries in 
which to motor, and there is a wealth of scenery 
and an attractiveness and novelty which will 
amply repay the visitor. Any one touring Eng- 
land can easily include Ireland because the trip 
over and back, even by the longest sea route, is 
but a few hours; the cost of taking a car over 
is nominal. I should advise any motorist who 
can spare an extra week from England to take 
in Ireland. 



251 




The coast of Wales is bold and bare in places, 
but the interior of the country is a realm of 
beauty. 




chapter 2i:b3entj>=one 
tIDljrougt) OTlalesi into Cnslanti 




We made the run from Holyhead to Bettivys-y- 
Coed over one of the finest roads in the world. 



Ctjapter tKtoentpone 
Jfrom ©ublin aCftrougft OTalesJ to Cnglanb 

WE left Dublin with regret; as it is such 
a beautiful city and there is so much 
to enjoy there. We arranged for 
space for our car on the night passenger boat 
to Holyhead, Wales, so that it would go over 
with us, and we turned the car over to the agent 
of the line at the London and Northwestern pier 
in Dublin about five o'clock. The gross charge 
for loading, unloading and taking it over, all at 
the company's risk, was 43^ 9d (about $10.50). 
We had failed to remember that it is one of the 
rules of shipment on all of these boats that the 
tank of the motor must be entirely emptied of 
gasoline and as our tank held about twenty gal- 
lons and we had filled it that afternoon we 
donated the whole amount to the wharf-master, 
who quietly filled pail after pail and emptied 
them into a large barrel which he evidently kept 
there to receive contributions of this sort from 
forgetful motorists. This gasoline business must 

255 



iWotorins Sferoab 



make quite a little revenue for him as every car 
which is shipped, and they ship from five to ten 
a day in the summer season, contributes more 
or less to his barrel. He did not take me into 
his confidence but I am led to believe that he 
sells this same gasoline to motorists arriving 
from England, whose cars have to be replenished 
before they can leave the pier. 

The trip across from Dublin to Holyhead, 
which takes only about five hours, was made very 
comfortably. We had secured staterooms which 
gave us the privilege of lying down, but our rest 
was broken upon our arrival at Holyhead at one 
o'clock in the morning when every one is hustled 
off the boat. The oflScials told us that our car 
would be taken off during the night and we would 
find it the next morning on the wharf ready for 
delivery, so we went at once to the Station Hotel 
which adjoins the quay and train-sheds of the 
railway, and were soon having our second in- 
stallment of sleep that night. 

We had planned to get a rather early start for 
our Sunday's run through Wales, but when we 
went to get our car we found that the man 
having the keys to the freight sheds into which 
it had been run had gone to church and would 
not be back until about noon. We persuaded 

256 




Bettwys-y-Coed, where we lunched and spent 
an hour or two, is the great center of motoring 
in Wales and a favorite resort for tourists. 



:f torn ©utilin to Cnglanb 



one of the porters at the hotel to go to his house 
and find out what church he attended and take 
him away from his devotional exercises for the 
purpose of unlocking the doors and enabling us 
to start on our journey. He did not, however, 
propose to lose any part of the sermon so sent 
his keys by his little daughter, who, after we had 
gotten our motor out, saw that the doors were 
locked and returned with the keys to church. 

The run from Holyhead to Bettws-y-Coed was 
over one of the finest roads in the world. The 
entire English nation takes a justifiable pride in 
it. The scenery was typically Welsh, especially 
across the Island of Anglesey which is separated 
from the main shore by the Menai Strait. We 
crossed the strait at Bangor, which is a brisk 
little town of about twelve thousand inhabitants, 
and the seat of the University College of North 
Wales. Bangor has a cathedral the original of 
which dates back to the sixth century. 

There are two magnificent bridges crossing the 
Menai Strait and connecting the mainland of 
Wales with the Island of Anglesey. The sus- 
pension bridge is said to be one of the most per- 
fect specimens of bridge construction in the 
world, and has stood since 1826. It is 580 feet 
long from pier to pier and 1,000 feet over all, 

257 



ifMotoring ^tiroab 



while the roadway is 100 feet above the level 
of the water at high tide. The tubular bridge, 
which was built by Robert Stephenson, and 
was finished in 1850, consists of two parallel 
tubes or tunnels formed by the combination of 
innumerable small tubes firmly riveted together. 
These tubes which rest on five piers, have a 
length of 1,840 feet. It is said that the summer 
heat at noonday increases the length of this 
structure by nearly a foot and a very clever 
mechanical device has been arranged to take 
care of the expansion and contraction. 

Just beyond Bangor we passed the Penrhyn 
slate quarries, the largest in the world. There 
are employed here over 3,000 quarrymen and 
over 360 tons of the finest slate are shipped every 
day. This quarry, of which we had a most 
excellent view in passing, is like a huge amphi- 
theater, the successive steps or terraces each 
being from forty to sixty feet in height. The 
quarry now has a depth of 1,000 feet and drillings 
show that there is still nearly 2,000 feet of solid 
slate below the present floor. Tram lines run 
along each terrace to convey the output to the 
immense hydraulic lifts which raise it to the sur- 
face. As we passed this great quarry in the 
afternoon the sun was reflected at such an angle 

258 




We crossed the Straits of Menai, which sepa- 
rates the Island of Anglesey from Wales, by 
the huge Suspension Bridge built in 1819-26. 



Jfrom ©utilin to Cnglanb 



on the slate that it had almost the brilliancy of 
glass. 

Bettws-y-Coed is one of the popular resorts of 
Wales and its beauties are such that this is not to 
be wondered at. We stopped here at the delight- 
ful Royal Oak Hotel, the house of the famous 
sign by David Cox, which is spending its hoary 
old age in a comfortable frame indoors. The 
name of this town translated into English is "The 
Chapel in the Wood." It is delightfully located 
in a valley at the junction of two beautiful 
streams and is surrounded by high hills closely 
wooded to their summits. There are few places 
in Great Britain more beautiful than Bettws-y- 
Coed and it is filled every summer with visitors 
from all over the world. It is a favorite 
rendezvous of artists, fishermen and motorists. 
There is no place in Wales as conveniently 
situated for day's-run motor trips, and it may be 
added that there are few more beautiful countries 
than Wales. Its scenery, roads, people, its 
legends, history and villages, all appeal to lovers 
of the beautiful and the historic. Llandudno, 
the fashionable Welsh seashore resort; Rhyl, 
Hawarden (pronounced Harden), the home of 
the late Mr. Gladstone, and a score of other 
places may be reached from Bettws-y-Coed in a 

259 



iWotoring ^liroab 



few hours run over perfect roads, and amid 
fascinating scenes and scenery. 

We left the Royal Oak after luncheon, and 
followed the exquisite valley for miles, winding 
in and out forest dells, with here vistas of wild 
mountain scenery, and there glimpses of sweet 
little villages nestling beside swift running 
streams. We crossed the line into England, 
and made our first stop at Wrexham, visiting the 
churchyard where Elihu Yale, founder of Yale 
College, was buried in 1721. His tomb is inclosed 
by an iron fence through which the epitaph 
carved in the stone is easily deciphered. It reads: 

"Born in America, in Europe bred. In Africa traveled, in Asia 
wed 
Where long he lived and thrived, in London dead. 
Much good, some ill he did, so hope all's even 
And that his soul through Mercy's gone to heaven. 
You that survive and read this tale take care 
For this most certain exit to prepare, 
When blest in peace the actions of the just 
Smell sweet and blossom in the silent dust." 

From Wrexham it is only an hour's run to 
Chester, and we drew up at the Grosvenor Hotel 
late in the afternoon after a glorious day's run. 
In fact the four most beautiful days' runs we 
had enjoyed on our entire trip were made on 
Sunday, an incidental coincidence which we had 
not in any way planned. 

260 




chapter 3E:iaentj>=2rttio 
Jfrom Cfjesiter to Southampton 



chapter Ctoentp=ttoo 

Wbt EasJt portion of 0\it STrip from Cfjesitet to 
^outf)ampton 

SO much has been written about the quaint 
old town of Chester that httle new can be 
told of it. We remained at the excellent 
Grosvenor Hotel two nights and a day, visiting, 
of course, the great and impressive cathedral, 
walking over the old city walls, which follow the 
lines of the Roman parapets, in going to the 
cheese market, where each month a public sale 
of Cheshire cheeses is held; and in visiting 
the fascinating old shops for which Chester is 
famous. Their attractiveness captures Ameri- 
can dollars in untold numbers, and their wares 
are so inviting that it is doubtful if any visitor, 
no matter how hardened he or she may be to 
the wiles of the foreign shopkeeper, gets out of 
Chester without succumbing to some of the bar- 
gains so temptingly offered. 

From Chester we went direct to Manchester, 
the chief industrial town of England, arriving at 

263 



jfMotoring abraab 



the Midland Hotel in time for dinner. This 
hotel is one of the group of hotels owned and 
operated by the Midland Railway Company, and 
it is easily the finest house in Great Britain out- 
side of London. It has all of the characteristic 
features of the famous New York hotels, includ- 
ing palm rooms, cafes, ballrooms, et cetera, and 
one could almost imagine, if it were not for the 
people he saw about him, that he was in the 
American metropolis. 

It is said that it always rains in Manchester. 
We cannot attest to that fact but we are certain 
that we never saw it rain harder anywhere than 
it did all the time we were there. It was such a 
downpour that we did not leave the hotel from 
the time we arrived until we left the city. We had 
hoped to see something of the splendid municipal 
and manufacturing features of the city, which has 
been the world's center for cotton goods for 
centuries, but we decided that it would be like 
viewing scenery through Niagara Falls, so we 
gave it up, and the day following our arrival, 
during a brief respite in the rain, we started for 
Derby, our friend, the then Consul General at 
Manchester, and his daughters, accompanying us 
in their motor as far as Buxton where we lunched 
together at the St. Ann's Hotel. This run took 

264 




Our friend the Consul-General and his daugh- 
ters accompanied us and we photographed the 
cars on the highest point reached by any road 
in England. 



Jfrom Ct)Es;ter to ^outfjampton 



us through the far-famed Peak country, over 
the highest portion of England, and we stopped 
and photographed the two automobiles side by 
side where the greatest altitude above sea level 
is reached by any highway. The country over 
which we passed was rather bare, but the views 
undoubtedly would have been worth seeing had 
the rain given us a chance to see for any dis- 
tance. 

Buxton is famous as one of the three chief in- 
land watering places of England and the highest 
town above the sea level. It has long been 
famous for its hot springs and baths and reminds 
one, in general appearance, very much of Hom- 
burg and other German spas. 

From Buxton we followed the valley of the 
diminutive Wye, the road being chiefly down 
grade, and taking us through almost a continu- 
ous succession of little settlements. At Edensor, 
a quaint bit of an English rural town adjoining 
the great park of the Duke of Devonshire, nine 
miles in circumference, we stopped to see Chats- 
worth, the Duke's country-seat and one of the 
famous places of Great Britain. To see Chats- 
worth as it should be seen means days, not 
hours; so we had a most superficial view only. 
The Duke was not in residence, so we had to 

265 



ifttotorins aibroab 



content ourselves with seeing only so much as 
the somewhat officious attendant was willing to 
disclose of the great mansion, nearly as large as 
our Capitol and filled with works of art of in- 
estimable value. No brief or even extended 
account can convey an adequate idea of the 
splendor of this noted place with its art 
treasures, its fountains throwing water ^65 feet 
high, its great park and the beauty of its entire 
setting. 

A few minutes run in our motor from Chats- 
worth took us to Haddon Hall, one of the most 
perfect specimens of the old English baronial 
architecture. This was the home of the Vernons, 
whose daughter, Dorothy, raised such a tumult 
in the 16th century by eloping with Sir John 
Manners. The building is not occupied as a 
residence, but is well preserved and very inter- 
esting. After stopping for a cup of tea at the 
charming old Peacock Inn at Rowsley, we 
pushed on over a most interesting road, and 
through picturesque scenery to Matlock Bath 
in the valley of the Derwent. 

Within two miles and stretching along the 
valley there are no less than five Matlocks — 
Matlock Bridge, Matlock Village, Matlock 
Green, Matlock Bank and Matlock Bath, the 

266 




■- s 






Jfrom Cijegter to ^outfjampton 



latter the most important place in the heart of 
a wild gorge of the Derwent. Although it is a 
favorite place for tourists we did not stop, but 
continued on to Derby which we reached with- 
out incident, stopping at the Midland Hotel. 

Derby was known in earlier times because 
William the Conqueror had presented the town 
and the surrounding country to his natural 
son, Peveril of the Peak, but no trace at present 
exists of the castle which was erected by the 
young man. It is known now as the headquar- 
ters of the Midland Railway, the finest railway 
system in England, and the Royal Derby 
Porcelain Works, which are visited by all 
tourists. Americans have a special fondness for 
Derby because it is about the only place in Eng- 
land where our national game of baseball is 
regularly played. 

The run from Derby to Leicester was through 
such a region as can be found in rural England 
only. We could not resist the temptation to 
stop every little while to admire some quaint 
little village or some particularly picturesque 
pastoral scene. Leicester has a history which 
makes the discovery of America seem like a 
modern event. Its original foundation is 
ascribed to King Lear, and many evidences of 

267 



ittotorins Sbroab 



Roman occupancy have been unearthed in the 
city. The chief Roman reHc is the Jewry Wall, 
the remaining portion being about 75 feet long 
and 20 feet high. It is said to have inclosed 
that portion of the town in which the Jews were 
permitted to live. Richard II. died in Leicester, 
and his stone coffin was afterwards used as 
a watering trough in front of the old Blue Boar 
Inn. 

From Leicester we jogged along leisurely to 
Rugby, whose famous school, the pride of Eng- 
land, dates back to 1547, and which now has 
about 450 students. Unfortunately it was vaca- 
tion time, so we had no chance to see the boys 
at work and play. From here we went to Leam- 
ington, another of the popular English watering 
places which has a number of springs of as 
diversified analysis as those at Saratoga. We 
found most comfortable accommodations at the 
Manor House, a pleasant, homelike place sur- 
rounded by an attractive garden, with a pro- 
fusion of roses. 

Almost adjoining Leamington is Warwick and 
its castle which dates back to the Saxon times, 
and about five miles distant are the grand old 
ruins of the grander Kenil worth. These two 
historic spots have been described a million 

268 



Jfrom CljesJter to ^outJjampton 



times, more or less, and I shall not attempt to 
add anything to what has been said. This also 
is true of Stratford-on-Avon, at which place we 
stopped for an hour, continuing thence directly 
to Oxford, putting up at the Clarendon Hotel 
and spending some time in visiting the most noted 
of Oxford's twenty-one colleges, at which there 
are three thousand students. "Beyond Oxford we 
entered the valley of the Thames and followed 
the famous river to Reading. We made no stop 
here but went on to Winchester, reaching the 
George Hotel there in time for dinner. This 
city is one of great antiquity and is the seat of a 
magnificent cathedral. It is said that after the 
Norman Conquest this town rivaled London in 
commercial importance but a conflagration in 
1141 impeded its progress for so long a time 
that the present metropolis left it far in the rear 
commercially. 

After visiting the cathedral the morning after 
our arrival and spending several hours about this 
quaint, sleepy old town we regretfully got into 
our car for the last run, one of only about twenty 
miles to Southampton, where our motor tour was 
to end. The distance was covered only too 
quickly and about noon we drew up in front of 
the Southwestern Hotel with mingled feelings of 

269 



JWotoring ^broali 



regret on the one hand that this most dehghtful 
motoring trip was at an end, and thankfulness on 
the other that it had been made without mishap 
or accident of any kind. We all took a senti- 
mental pleasure in patting our Locomobile as if 
it had been a human being and saying: "Well 
done. You have carried us several thousand 
miles without default or complaint. So per- 
fectly have you done your work that but once 
on the entire trip have we had to stop on your 
account and that for a moment only because of 
a trivial disorder of what mechanics have 
called one of your * bushings.'" 

After we had taken the last of our things out 
of the car and given it our benediction, it was 
driven to the office of the shippers and turned 
over to them for shipment back to New York. 
The crate from which we had unpacked it at 
Havre had been shipped to Southampton and 
we found it there awaiting our arrival. There 
was nothing for us to do but to consign the car 
to the shippers and then to visit the office of the 
United States Consul and make a declaration 
before him that we w^ere shipping into the 
United States an American-made car, giving 
the number of its motor, the factory number 
of the car, the color it was painted and various 

270 




At Wrexham we visited the grave of Elihu Yale, 
the founder of Yale College, in the old church- 
yard, and deciphered its curious inscription. 



Jfrom Cfjesfter to ^outfjampton 



other required details. This having been sworn 
to before the Consul our motor car tour was 
finished. 

We sailed from Southampton on the following 
day upon the steamship Blilcher of the Hamburg- 
American Line, bringing with us memories of a 
delightful two months that will remain with all 
of us as long as we live. 



271 




As we drew up to the hotel at Southampton 
we realized that our tour was at an end, but 
felt that years could not obliterate the memories 
of the pleasures we had enjoyed. 




chapter Wbitntp^t^xtt 

J^ractical ^uggesitionsf for a 
^foreign iWotor Crip 



Cfjapter tETtxjentp-tfjree 

practical ^uggesitionsf to Wf^osit Contemplating a 
jForeign JWotor Wvip 

IN TAKING one's own car to Europe there 
are a few annoyances, but the satisfaction 
in knowing just what you can count on is 
more than compensation. In the first place, no 
apologies are necessary when you take an Amer- 
ican car. A few years ago the French manu- 
facturers were far ahead of us in construction, 
style, finish, durability of parts and dependa- 
bility. But a few years to an American manu- 
facturer are as a generation to those of other 
nations. We make progress rapidly and to-day 
an American automobile of the best make can 
be taken to Europe with every confidence that it 
will stand up to the work just as satisfactorily 
as the best foreign car. 

Those who are contemplating the trip and 
expect to take over their own cars will find the 
following suggestions valuable, and the informa- 
tion correct, so far as it goes. 

Unless the owner intends to drive the car him- 

275 



jUIotoring ^ftroab 



self it is best to take over with him his own chauf- 
feur. He can be sent over in the second cabin 
on the same steamer with the car. If the owner 
is to do the driving it is advisable to secure in 
each country a mechanic who can do the neces- 
sary dirty work on the car, but my advice is to 
take your own chauffeur. It is cheaper in the 
long run and far more satisfactory. The aver- 
age foreign chauffeur is indifferent and fool- 
hardy and, with the French particularly, deter- 
mined to ''burn up" the road regardless of your 
instructions or desires. I met a friend in Tours 
who had employed a French chauffeur and he 
told me that "he (my friend) had died a dozen 
times during the past month" from sheer fright, 
and that try as hard as he might he could not 
cajole, order or compel his chauffeur to drive at 
anything but a breakneck pace. At all hotels a 
very reasonable charge is made for the chauf- 
feur's board and lodging, usually not over five 
or six francs or shillings a day. 

It is important to provide a description of 
your car, translated into French, if you are 
going to France or Italy, and into German if 
you are going into Germany, giving the maker's 
name, value and style of car, horse power, num- 
ber of cylinders and size, wheel base, number of 

276 



practical ^uggesftionsf 



motor, factory number of car, motor power, 
weight in pounds and kilos, color, and equip- 
ment — that is, horns, lamps, etc. This will save 
time and trouble in passing the customs house 
formalities. Incidentally it may be remarked 
that acetylene lamps are prohibited in cities and 
towns in France. Two side lights are required, 
the right white and the left green, also rear 
lamps showing number. 

Affix a small brass plate to the body of the 
car upon which is engraved the owner's name, 
his city and state and "U. S. A." 

Have extra-heavy brakes put on the car un- 
less it is already well-equipped and, w^hile not 
necessary, it is advisable to add strong sprags 
to hold the car should it start to back on a hill. 
It is well to take with you two or three sets of 
Weed's chain grips. 

On arrival in France equip the car with 
Michelin anti-puncture shields on rear wheels, 
and chains on front mud guards. These are 
described in chapter two. 

Ship your car with the oldest tires you have so 
you can discard them on arrival and equip there 
with the best foreign tire, the Michelin, at one- 
half what they cost in this country. 

If you take over an American car have its 

277 



jHotorins Sbroab 



maker pack for you a box containing a duplicate 
of every essential part, including brakes, which 
you are likely to have to replace, and which could 
not readily be made in a repair shop abroad. This 
box can be packed under your car in the crate 
and fastened to the bottom of the crate. Leave 
these parts at some central point from which 
anything you need can be sent you quickly. 
Arrange with the manufacturer to be credited 
after your return with all parts not needed. 

Procure five small photographs (size | x IJ 
inches) of chauffeur and yourself if you expect to 
drive the car, for afiixing to licenses in countries 
other than Great Britain. 

Arrange with some foreign shipper, like 
Davies, Turner & Co., of New York and Bos- 
ton, for the shipment of your car. They will 
take entire charge and you have nothing to do 
but turn it over to them and they will have their 
packer make the crate for it. The charge for 
a heavy crate, put together with bolts so that it 
can be taken apart in sections and held for use 
in returning the car to America, is $50 for the 
ordinary touring body and $60 for a limousine. 
The charge for trucking the packed car to 
the ship is $10; charge for derrick used in load- 
ing on this side $12 (no charge for loading is 

278 



I 



practical ^uggeis^ttons; 



made on cargo boats on crates weighing less 
than 4,400 pounds), and unloading and dock 
fees on the other side $10 to $15. To these 
amounts there is to be added the cost of freight 
and a charge of $10 made by the shippers for 
their services. The freight charge varies, of 
course, according to port of shipment and char- 
acter of ship on which car is sent, whether ex- 
press or cargo steamer. The charge to Havre 
by the French Line on cars weighing, crated, 
less than 4,400 pounds is 21 cents per cubic 
foot; on cars weighing, crated, more than 4,400 
pounds, 26j cents per cubic foot. On slow 
cargo boats of the same line the charges are 
13 cents and 16 cents respectively. As few 
touring cars, crated, weigh less than 4,400 
pounds, it is safe to estimate the freight by 
passenger steamer at about $80 to $85, and by 
slow cargo steamer at about $65 to $70. Two 
weeks' additional time should be allowed for 
shipment by a cargo boat. The freight charges 
from Havre are 17 cents per cubic foot, any 
weight, on fast boats, and 12 cents on cargo boats 
with same derrick charges. Freight charges on 
the boats of the Hamburg American Line or 
North German Lloyd to Genoa or Naples, Italy, 
are about 13 cents a cubic foot, with derrick 

279 



iMotoring ^broab 



charges at each end of about $12 for crates 
weighing over 3,000 pounds on the North Ger- 
man Lloyd, or over 4,480 pounds on the Ham- 
burg American Line. The cost of clearing 
through customs house and unpacking at Genoa 
or Naples, is about $25. 

It is advisable to make sure that the boat on 
which your car is to be shipped has hatchways 
sufficiently large so that the crate may be put 
in the hold and raised out of it without tilting. 
Be sure you have a marine insurance policy 
covering your car in transit. The shipper will 
procure this for you; and also have him turn 
over to you for use with the customs officials 
upon the return of your car the original shipping 
manifest from America to Europe. This mani- 
fest should describe the car fully, giving factory 
number, etc., etc. 

If you are going to France turn over to your 
shippers two or three weeks in advance a type- 
written copy of the description of your car, 
retaining a copy yourself, and five small photo- 
graphs of whoever is going to act as chauffeur. 
If owner and chauffeur are each going to drive, 
a *' Driving Certificate" must be procured for 
each from the French authorities. Your ship- 
per will arrange to secure the certificates as 

280 



practical Suggestions; 



well as the necessary ''Circulation Permit," 
which corresponds to our state license. The 
shipper's representative at Havre will have the 
necessary official at hand when the car is un- 
packed and ready to be turned over so that the 
examination of the driver to determine his 
ability may be had without delay. This exam- 
ination generally consists in taking the official 
around a block or two, the passing of a few salu- 
tations, and the judicious extending of a tip of 
from five to ten francs. 

The shipper will also attend to the paying of 
the customs, the amount being placed in his 
hands for the purpose at the time of shipment. 
The average customs deposit in France amounts 
to about $175 on a touring car and $200 on a 
limousine. The amount is figured upon weight 
and the entire sum is returned at the port from 
which the car is shipped out of the country, if 
shipment is made within one year. To secure 
this refund, it is absolutely necessary to present 
the customs receipt issued by the officials at the 
port of entry, therefore do not lose it. 

If you enter France from England, arrange 
all the details of customs, licenses, etc., through 
the Motor Union of England, reference to which 
is made elsewhere. This will save much trouble. 

281 



Jttotorins atjroab 



The customs duty in Italy must be paid when 
the car enters the country. A receipt is given 
and the amount returned when the car is taken 
out of the country. A lead seal is affixed to the 
car and must not be disturbed. The average 
duty is about $120. 

In entering England no duty is charged and 
the freight to England is less than to France. 
The three chief English ports are Liverpool, 
London (docks at Tilbury, eighteen miles from 
London), and Southampton. The preference 
lies with the latter two. 

To Liverpool the freight is about 10 cents a 
cubic foot and return charge about 12 cents. 
Port and landing charge about $25. To Lon- 
don the freight is about 12 J cents per cubic 
foot, with no charge for loading here, but about 
$10 to $15 for unloading at London. To South- 
ampton the freight is 13 cents per cubic foot 
with derrick charges at each end, $12 port 
charge and $25 landing charge. 

If your car is of foreign make be sure to have 
it examined before shipment by United States 
customs officials and an official record made of 
it. Foreign cars on re-importation are subject to 
duty at full value if repairs or changes amount 
ing to more than 10 per cent, of the original 

282 



practical feuggesJtionsJ 



cost are made while the car is abroad. This is 
enforced even when repairs are necessitated by 
accident. 

If you have taken over an American car be 
sure, before returning, to go to the United States 
Consul at the port from which you are to ship 
and make a declaration before him regarding 
the car. This is essential to facilitate passage 
through the customs house on return to the 
United States. This declaration should contain 
the material facts regarding the car, including 
its factory number, motor number, maker's 
name, etc. 

If your car is of American make you must 
detach from it before shipment back to this coun- 
try any horns, sirens, clocks or other fixtures 
you may have purchased abroad, and ship them 
separately. The customs officials do not pay 
any attention to foreign tires which are on the 
car if they have been used to a reasonable extent, 
nor do they demand duty for minor necessary 
repairs up to 10 per cent, of the original cost 
of the car. 

It is essential to take a passport with you. 
This may be procured readily from the State 
Department at Washington upon payment of 
a fee of one dollar, and in case of any legal 

283 



iWotoring Siftroab 



proceedings or an accident abroad it is impor- 
tant to have one. 

Bear in mind, while touring abroad, that 
foreigners attach much more importance than 
do Americans to pohteness, and when you are 
in Rome do as the Romans do. A pleasant 
smile and an agreeable manner go farther in 
most foreign countries than a tip. And never 
lose your temper no matter how great the provo- 
cation. 

If you are not already a member of the Amer- 
ican Automobile Association, or some well- 
estabhshed Automobile Club, join before you go 
abroad. The fee for joining the American Au- 
tomobile Association, whose office is at 437 Fifth 
Avenue, New York, is only $2.00. Application 
should be made to the Secretary of the Associa- 
tion. 

It is also essential that you should join the 
Touring Club de France, This organization 
has over 100,000 members and is very powerful, 
being under the direct patronage of the French 
Government, and having a Board of Governors 
composed of many distinguished men. The 
wearing of the Club button on your cap insures 
attention anywhere in France. It costs but six 
francs ($1.20) to become a member and many 



284 



practical ^uggesitiong 



Americans are already on the Club's roll. A 
simple application for membership made to the 
Club at 65 Avenue de la Grande Armee, Paris, 
is all that is necessary, except the payment of 6 
francs ($1.20) with an additional charge of 50 
centimes (10 cents) for postage, or $1.30 in all. 
The Club issues a year book containing a list of 
3,000 selected hotels, at which all members, upon 
showing their card, secure a reduction of from 
5 per cent, to 10 per cent, in their bill (a con- 
siderable item when one is touring). This item 
alone saves the cost of membership many times 
over. The Club issues maps, and an infinite 
number of descriptive pamphlets, giving infor- 
mation as to hotels, police regulations, customs 
laws, etc., besides more than 300 card itineraries 
with sketch maps, and a dictionary in six 
languages of such phrases and words as would 
be of use to a motorist. The Club will upon 
application make up special itineraries and facili- 
tate a foreign tour in many ways. 

The home of the Touring Club, Paris, is a 
very dignified, handsome building and its interior 
with its large libraries and comfortable lounging 
rooms reminds one of the better clubs in New 
York or London. It is the headquarters of all 
motor tourists and those in charge are ready to 

285 



illotarins abroab 



give the fullest information and extend every 
courtesy. 

If you are going to tour in Continental coun- 
tries other than France you can secure through 
the Club a triptyque which will relieve you of 
all the details regarding duty and even the pay- 
ment of it in the various countries you may visit. 

The application for a triptyque is made on a 
prescribed form and must be accompanied by a 
deposit of the amount of duty which would be im- 
posed by each of the countries to be visited. The 
triptyque is issued under the authority of the 
Club which becomes responsible for its members 
during their sojourn. This license for free in- 
ternational circulation is printed on three leaves 
or sections for each country to be visited, each 
set of three bearing the same serial number. 
The first leaf is detached by the customs officials 
at the port of entry to any country; the second 
is retained by the customs officials at the point 
of final departure of the car from the country, 
and the third section is retained by the member 
to be presented finally personally or by mail to 
the Touring Club, whereupon his deposit is re- 
funded at once without the delay and incon- 
venience which so often attend repayment of 
such a deposit at the customs house. If one is to 

286 



practical ^ugsesitions; 



tour in France only and does not expect to enter 
other countries on the Continent the triptyque 
is unnecessary. Its chief convenience lies in the 
fact that it avoids the necessity of dealing with 
the customs officials at the ports of entry and 
departure. It is not necessary in taking a motor 
car to England as no duty is exacted in Great 
Britain. 

Those who are going to tour in Italy should 
join the Touring Club of Italy. Its headquarters 
are at 14 Via Monte Napolene, Milan. Mem- 
bership costs 10 lire ($1.94), and is very helpful. 
The club offers most of the facilities afforded by 
the Touriny Club de France. The Touring Club 
of Italy is represented in Naples by Baron 
Gaetano De Angelia, Via Carolina, 8, and in 
Genoa by Mr. William McKenzie, care Society 
AUeanza, Piazza Meridiana. 

If you are going to tour Great Britain join 
the Motor Union of Great Britain and Ireland, 
which corresponds to the Touring Club de 
France. Membership which costs c£l Is ($5.25) 
can be procured in advance of reaching England 
by application to the Secretary, No. 1 Albemarle 
Street, Piccadilly, London, W., with a remittance 
covering the fee named above. This organization 
is very helpful and membership therein desirable in 

287 



iWotoring ^liraab 



that it will secure discounts from the customary 
prices charged at many hotels. It also assists 
members in any legal complications, in shipping 
cars to France or other European countries, in 
securing insurance, et cetera. It will also forward 
blanks for securing licenses for car and driver, 
and number plates, and have them ready for you 
upon arrival. The cost of an automobile license 
in England is £1 ($5.00) and the license is good 
so long as you own the car. You have to secure 
driver's and owner's licenses, costing 5^ ($1.25) 
each, and the charge for two number plates (blue 
enamel with white figures) is 6s ($1.50). This 
covers all the expense of taking a car into Eng- 
land, aside from freight and dock charges. 
Licenses can be secured in any large city from 
the clerk of the County Council and each one so 
issued is good all over Great Britain and Ireland. 
There is an Annual Inland Revenue tax of about 
£5 but it is rarely collected from visiting motor- 
ists making a short sojourn. 

A word about baggage for the motor car. I 
had worked out a plan for our automobile trunk 
and had it made to order before we left New 
York. Our experience throughout the entire 
trip, during which the trunk was subjected to 
the hardest tests of dust and torrents of rain, 

288 



practical g>usse2;tion£f 



shows that a trunk built upon these lines is most 
satisfactory for touring and is recommended 
unqualifiedly. 

It was simply a telescope case made of tough 
leatheroid as large as we could carry on our 
trunk rack. The top, w^hich was lined on the 
inside with woolly felt fitted down snugly over 
the bottom part and completely enclosed it on all 
sides. A heavy leather handle at either end was 
attached as well as on top and two heavy straps 
went around it. Within this large case were 
three smaller cases, each with its own handle 
and two straps. The covers of these cases 
which fitted over the bottom portion were 
lined with felt. When we arrived at our des- 
tination the porters took the large telescope 
case off the trunk rack at the back of the car 
and unstrapped it outside of the hotel under our 
supervision. As soon as the top was taken off 
the three inside cases were lifted out and 
could be carried like ordinary dress-suit cases to 
our rooms while the large outside telescope was 
usually left with the porter until we were ready 
to depart. As a result the luggage which we 
took to our room was always clean with no dust 
or mud on it. As to luggage and clothing for a 
motor car trip abroad a few words may be appre- 

289 



jWotorins 9braab 



ciated. We traveled with light equipment. In ad- 
dition to our motor trunk just referred to, we had 
three steamer trunks, one for each two people. 
These trunks we shipped ahead of us by ''Grande 
Vitesse in France, and as "Advance Luggage" in 
Great Britain and Ireland, meeting them every 
two or three days. The method of such ship- 
ment is very simple and by it you can have your 
extra trunks delivered from your hotel in one city 
to your hotel in another, where they will be await- 
ing you upon arrival. The charges which are rea- 
sonable should always be paid in advance. This 
is important as the rates are less when prepaid. 
The motorist is likely to need rather heavy 
clothing even on the Continent in summer, for 
the evenings are cool, and it is essential in Great 
Britain and Ireland. Overcoats, wraps and 
sweaters are necessary and light-weight rubber 
coats are indispensable. The kind which open 
only at the neck and go on over the head are the 
most convenient. A light-weight dust coat is de- 
sirable also, although the amount of dust on 
foreign roads is insignificant compared with that 
endured in America. 

No one should undertake a tour abroad with- 
out having secured before the start an indemnity 
policy to relieve him from expense and the an- 



290 



practical ^ugges^ttons; 



noyances of delay in case he should cause any 
damage to persons or property. A policy in an 
American company would be practically useless 
in Europe. It is therefore advisable to take out 
one in a European company having represen- 
tatives in every important city and town so that 
in case of trouble the company can come to your 
aid without delay. The laws of France espe- 
cially are very rigid and severe where damage to 
persons or property is done, and are especially 
embarrassing to any one not a native. I took 
out a policy in a French company for protection 
while in France and another in England but this 
I afterward ascertained was a useless expense. 
There are several English companies well repre- 
sented in France and their policies provide all 
the protection necessary and cover all the chief 
countries of Europe. The two leading com- 
panies, the Ocean Accident & Guarantee Co., 
of London, and the General Accident, Fire & 
Life Assurance Association, of Perth, Scotland, 
have agencies in New York City and it would 
save time to take out policies before sailing. One 
thing should be remembered in making the ap- 
plication: Premiums are rated on horse power 
on the French basis, which is about half the 
American, thus it is safe to put down an Amer- 

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lean car of 30-horse power at 15. It will save 
considerable of the premium. 

It is very advisable to take with you a small 
"First Aid to the Injured" kit and a medicine 
box containing a number of simple remedies. 
These can be procured already made up or the 
necessary items can be purchased singly. Any 
physician can make up a list of requisites and 
medicines for use in case of an accident or illness 
where the prompt services of a physician are 
not to be secured. A camera is a most desirable 
addition and the photographs afford much pleas- 
ure after the trip is over. Baedeker's guide 
books are absolutely necessary, and the keeping 
of a *'Log Book" is also recommended. Books 
for this purpose can be purchased at almost any 
up-to-date metropolitan bookstore. 

One more suggestion: If you are a smoker 
and are going to tour France take your own 
tobacco and pipe or cigars for no American can 
smoke the "tabac" sold in France. Cigars are 
unobtainable outside the large cities and the 
smoking tobacco is of international quality — 
you smoke it in one country and smell it in an- 
other. You should declare any cigars or tobacco 
you take into France with you. If not, and 
they are found, they will be confiscated. 

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practical ^ugses^ttonfi; 



The itinerary of our trip, as shown by the 
maps, I am satisfied gave us the best results to 
be obtained in the time we had at our disposal. 
It was made up after consultation with friends 
who had previously toured and while we did not 
follow definitely the route which we had fixed 
upon before leaving home, such changes as were 
made improved it. I have, therefore, no hesi- 
tation in recommending it as being one well 
calculated to take in the most interesting points 
in the countries visited, and to give the widest 
variety of scenery and historical places. 

We made the most of our time without rushing 
too rapidly or over-tiring ourselves physically. 
It must be borne in mind, of course, that our trip 
was not made for the purpose of visiting cities 
with art galleries, cathedrals and places of 
historic interest, but of seeing the country and 
the smaller towns. 

The trip we took can be made comfortably, 
with ample time to see every place, not thor- 
oughly but to enjoy the chief attractions, in two 
months. 

The most desirable time to make such a tour 
is between the middle of May and the middle of 
September. The country is at its best during 
this season and good weather may be expected. 

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The trip is beautiful at any time, except the 
winter season. We were in France during the 
harvest time, always an interesting period, but 
were in Scotland in August when they have the 
greatest amount of rain and *'mist" so that 
where we had France at its best we really had 
Scotland at its worst. If we were to repeat the 
trip we are inclined to believe that we would go 
to England and Scotland first and France after- 
ward (although this is merely a matter of senti- 
ment and we doubt if there is any real choice in 
the matter). 



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THE OUTING PRESS 

Deposit, Neiv York 



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